Siblings
by the-means-of-procrastinating
Summary: A string of kidnappings leads to their siblings being kidnapped, then they end up attending HIVE, what trouble can they all get up to?
1. The Americans, Japanese and Brits

"I really would not do that if I was you." a cool, articulated voice said from the shadows, the thirteen guards that were in the room spun around weapons drawn, their leader stepped forward

"Show yourself," he commanded

"Americans, always so predictable, so cliqued." the voice sighed, the leader raised his weapon and lay his finger on the trigger

"I said _show yourself_." he hissed, a tutting came from the shadows

"And why would I want to do that?" the voice teased

"So I can see you when I shoot you, you will die no matter what." the leader stated,

"Oh, I _really_ doubt that." the voice came again, the leader was now nervous, every guard was looking towards the shadows, "I suspect it will be you dying." as one every weapon in the room slid out of the holster and was aimed at the shadows

"Do tell where is your back up?" the leader taunted

"No, I do believe the question is, where is yours?" the voice from the shadows was cold and emotionless

"Group two, report." the leader commanded into his walkie talkie, there was static "Groups sound off." he tried, there was static

"Group two sir, Group three, four, five, six." the voice from the shadows mimicked the responses "Oh no. All gone!" the voice was mocking

"What did you do to them?" the leader demanded

"They're still alive. Which is more than I can say for the teachers you took out. A seven to three ratio, knock out gas and the element of surprise. For teachers, carers and children. Wow. You really pulled out all the stops Albert." the leaders gun twitched as his hand convulsed

"How do you know my name." the leader demanded a slight waver to his voice, a chilling laugh came from the shadows

"Albert Rupert Milestone. Age thirty two, unmarried, never had a relationship, friends suspect he is gay, but would never dare ask him. Attended the local state school, Roseville high. Born in Boston, St. Mary's to a Louise-"

"Stop!" the man shrieked provoking a laugh from the shadows again "What do you want? Who are you?" he asked unable to stop the tremor in his voice

"I want you to let these good people go, and for you to stop trying to kill my friends, kidnap my friends and trying to take over the world, because many have tried before and... well, you may be visiting them soon." the leader visibly paled

"Malpense." he gasped

"Oh don't sound so surprised, you _did_ come do all this to lure me here and kidnap me after all." the voice was now amused "Or was it to lure me here and kill me, I forget." Otto Malpense took a step out of the shadows and Albert raised his gun higher and put his finger on the trigger

"Safety is on." Otto stated, the man's eyes flicked down to check and seconds later he was on the floor unconscious and the gun was in Otto's hands, he looked at the guards with a smile all of their weapons were aimed at him

"Gone on, fire. _I dare you_." he stated, they all took his word for it, every single gun clicked uselessly

"These suits almost make it too easy." a female American voice said from thin air causing every single person in the room, barr Otto, to jump

"Raven said much the same just before we were captured and almost blown up Shel, please don't say that again." another voice replied, also from thin air, they both laughed, Otto also laughed, but not just at the comment, but at the faces of the guards. Three figures materialised quite literally from thin air

"So Otto, what was that you were saying about Americans?" Shelby asked having recently become visible

"Oh just that they are really annoying, repetitive can never take no for an answer and very cliqued... the usual I normally say to you." he replied, the guards took one look at the four of them, only children, and ran

"I really wouldn't..." Laura started then sighed "They never learn. We actually do have back up."

"Hello boys." a female voice with a slight Russian accent sounded from the corridor, then a few thumps were heard and a woman appeared at the door, a long scar ran down the side of her face,

"Set them free and then we can go." she stated the five of them set about freeing the hostages, they were no one of importance, just children, all orphans and their carers.

* * *

"You have to stop wanting to go after them." Raven told the four of them when they were back on the Shroud

"I cant help it. They are orphans, I have a weak spot for orphans, beside we all know what happens when we don't go." Otto added, the four students shuddered and a shadow crossed over Ravens face. They had not gone the first time and the organisation had blown up the orphanage they were planning to take hostage until Otto came

"Every time we have gone we have gathered more intel, we know who they are, soon enough we will know where they will strike and how to destroy them, it is a GLOVE operation, well one of the disbanded council leaders operations, they want to get Otto to get to Nero, and you don't have to come with us all the time." Laura replied, she had grown less scared of the assassin over the past few months and just a little fear but also had a mountain of respect for her, and a lot of awe, Raven sighed

"I know, we do not want that happening again, we know more I agree, but still not enough, we need their Leader, not just the lower down ones. We are filling a facility with the caught ones fast." the assassin stood "And Miss Brand, yes I do need to come with you, the one time I don't you will run or something will happen, as it it you four, I guess it will explosively." she added with a wry smile then headed to the cockpit

"How far to HIVE?" Shelby asked, Otto connected to the flight computers effortlessly and found the ETA, he groaned

"We are picking up seven others on the way, that exercise in the Alps and Altai." Otto sighed the three others groaned "Thirteen hours." he finally admitted. Even Wing looked unhappy, it was not obvious but Otto had known him long enough to notice the signs. Shelby groaned then lay along the seats with her head in Wing's lap then shut her eyes

"Nothing else to do." she mumbled Wing smiled

"I for one am inclined to agree." he commented and also shut his eyes

"Five... Four... Three... Two... One..." Otto whispered "And he is asleep." he sighed Laura looked at him shocked and Shelby's eyes flew open

"No way." she stated Otto grinned

"I know. And yes way." he smiled "It could not be faster with a tranquillizer dart." Shelby sighed, then shut her eyes again

"Cute couple." Laura teased

"I would not have guessed it in years though." Otto whispered Laura stood and gestured for him to follow suit he did and she led him to a far corner of the Shroud

"Now we will not wake them." she said settling on the floor

"I could rip a chainsaw to life and I would not wake Wing." Otto replied drily Laura laughed

"Well you do not want to see Shelby after too little sleep." she replied Otto laughed as well

"No, I do not believe I do." he agreed

* * *

"I will be back in a second." Raven stood and descended the steps to the cabin hold, she smiled slightly when she saw Wing and Shelby on the seats and quickly found Otto and Laura, further away, Laura's head was on Otto's shoulder, his head on hers and his arm was around her, she smiled wider, they were not a couple. Yet.

It had always amused her to see who ended up in a relationship with whom, Wing and Shelby had shocked her, not that she had shown it, Wing had always been so reserved. Otto and Laura had surprised her, when she had sussed their feelings, even though they were not admitting it to each other, but she saw now, they would make a good couple. She found a blanket in one of the under the seat storage spaces and gently laid it over them, and did the same for the other pair

"How long?" she asked the pilot poking her head in the hatch

"Three hours until pick up one, I am fine you can rest." he added Raven nodded and descended again. She pulled a pillow and blanket out of a storage box and sat on the seat, she let exhaustion consume her and she was asleep

* * *

Laura woke to the sound of the engines powering down, she was surprised to find Otto's arm around her, and her head on his shoulder, she glanced up at him and saw he was awake

"Morning," he murmured, she bit down a laugh at his hair

"Morning." she replied then bit her lip, then pulled out her Blackbox and took a photo of Otto, his very bemused face and the white hair sticking up at all angles, he laughed when he saw it then fruitlessly tried to smooth it down, Laura eventually stopped laughing and helped

"Looks like we got company in the night." Otto whispered looking at wing and Shelby on the ground near them, Shelby was resting her head on Wings chest and his arm was around her, Otto grabbed his Blackbox and took a photo of them

"Blackmail." he mouthed to Laura who had to bite back another laugh

"Where are we?" Laura asked Otto connected to the planes systems and sighed again

"About to make pick up two. We are still three hours away from HIVE. But that does mean they have been asleep for basically ten hours." he added looking at the couple on the floor near them

"Aye, but is that all they were doing?" she asked a grin spreading across her face

"Laura Brand! What could you be implying!" Otto gasped pretending to be shocked a smile spreading across his face

"Who else is here?" she asked distracting him

"Four final year alphas, I believe we are about to pick up three of our year, Franz, Nigel and Ruby." Laura nodded

"We can ask what happened." she stated as the shroud landed, the ramp lowered and three people in black jumpsuits ran on the three of them collapsed into the remaining chairs and shut their eyes, by the time the shroud was in the air they were all fast asleep

"You can go sit with the pilot if you want." Raven told them appearing from behind some crates "Or sleep, just don't wake anyone. Asleep no harm can be done." she added the two of them stood and saw Raven climbed into the cockpit, she was followed by the two alpha stream students eager to be in the cockpit when allowed and it was not crashing. Raven watched the two of them strap themselves in and examine all the buttons, the pilot started talking to them, she blocked it out and with one last glance at the biggest trouble maker at HIVE, she shut her eyes.

* * *

"How did it go Natalya?" Nero asked to a seemingly empty room, a shadow detached itself from the corner of the room

"According to plan. Those four make a team unlike one I have seen before. They work together like..." For once Raven was lost for words

"A family?" Nero supplied Raven shrugged

"I would not know." she replied "But I guess so. Its as if they do not need to communicate, they look out for the other and know when to do something, with all the teams I have supervised or fought, none have been quite that good." she sighed "What is going to become of them?" she asked no one in particular

"I do not know, but whatever it is, let us pray that they are on our side." Raven laughed unamused at Nero's comment

"Yes, I hold no such beliefs, but yes. Pray."

"Any leads?" he asked, the assassin gracefully sat in the chair on the opposite side of the headmasters desk

"Still the lower down leaders, but it is giving the four of them a lot of practice, I know we cannot send anyone else yet... I wish there was another way to avoid putting them in danger." Raven admitted

"I concur, yet we saw that the same thing happens when we send others as when we send none at all, I will not have the blood of innocent orphaned children on my hands." Nero replied

"Me neither." raven sighed "When do you think we will have enough to find their leader, we know it it HOPE, the four of them do not know yet, they should, but we need to find their base of operations. Otto has gathered all he can from any technology he have but it is not enough. We need their leader, and if the disciples are involved," Raven paused "I shudder to think of the lengths they would go through to get Malpense and infected again."

"They will have to go through a lot to get him from us, and then infected, if he is alive he can fight it. And we have the antidote." Nero told her

"He should carry some, if he does not already." Raven stated

"Go give him some, if he does not already have some, if he does give him extra." Nero told her the assassin turned to leave but was called back

"They can know about the Animus, but not that Artemis is looking for Malpense. He must not know yet."

"Yes sir." she nodded and left the room

* * *

Wing surveyed the darkened room, he moved silently towards the noise he had heard, but there was no one there, he heard shots fired and sprinted in that direction, again there was no one there, they had been at it for four hours, no one had died, Wing, Otto, Shelby and Laura were still alive.

"LIGHTS!" a deep voice yelled the lights flickered on, the four alpha students eyes adjusted to the darkness they lined up in front of Colonel Francisco, he looked grudgingly impressed

"That was an improvement," the four students knew that that was gong to be the best compliment they were going to get from the colonel

"Tomorrow you will be against the entire year of Alphas." he strode away and the four of them groaned

"We are going to die." Laura summarised Wing laughed and took Shelby's hand and led her towards the changing rooms Otto and Shelby following close behind

"We should work as a team." Wing stated when they were dressed he opened the door to their next class and found the entire year staring at the four of them with evil grins on their faces

"We have to work as a team." Shelby corrected the other three agreed readily. This would be fun.


	2. He beat Me

"What is wrong?" Laura demanded of the two boys as they sat with shocked faces on the sofa

"Otto." Laura called

"Hey, big guy! Speak!" Shelby tried Wing open and closed his mouth several times and gestured towards Otto

"He... beat... me." he managed to get out. The two girls now looked like they had been told the sky was falling down.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked approaching the group of four Alpha students seemingly struck dumb, then Laura stated laughing, and Shelby joined in and they couldn't stop

"Otto beat Wing." Laura gasped out, Raven blinked rapidly, the biggest reaction any of them had seen out of her she sat suddenly

"How?" she asked

"I do not know." Otto replied "He must have been distracted and off his game." he had finally regained power over his voice Wing blinked out of his shock

"He was good, fast, everything I had taught him but..." Wing laughed "It was the best I have seen him fight."

"Well congratulations Mr. Malpense, and the four of you on your victory over the Henchmen. I did not believe you would be able to beat all the Alphas as you did last week but the Henchmen today... I was pleasantly surprised." she shook her head in disbelief "Mr. Malpense Dr. Nero would like to see you in his office." she led the way to the office

"What have you done now?!" Laura called after him, he flashed her a grin and shrugged

"Not a clue." he mouthed she laughed at his bemused face

* * *

A loud incessant beeping woke Wing from his deep sleep, he glanced across the room and sat up instantly, normally Otto shut off the alarm before it woke him, but Otto was not in the room, and it was not the alarm

"Yes HIVE mind." he stated, the blue face of the AI appeared

"You are needed in the medical bay." the AI told him his mechanical voice sounding, if anything, worried

"Why? Where is Otto?" Wing demanded already dressing

"The medical bay." HIVE mind replied Wing groaned what had he done now

"Why?" Wing repeated

"You will see." the AI replied

"What is the time?" the Asian boy asked instead

"Three minutes past twelve in the morning." Wing glanced up confused

"Has he been there since he went to Nero's office?"

"Yes. Now quickly." the boy grabbed the Blackbox and slammed his hand on the button for the door, it released and he raced out towards the medical bay

* * *

"What do you mean 'You don't know what's wrong with him.'?" Wing demanded fighting for a hold on his temper, normally he was quite good at it but worry overpowered his control

"His mind is so different to that of anyone else's, we cannot tell what is normal in his brain activity or what is not." Dr. Scott the chief medical examiner explained

"So why am I here?" Wing asked

"To see if a familiar voice will wake him. It did last time but now..." the Dr. ran a hand through his greying hair he yawned

"Go sleep. I will watch my friend, but what books do you have here?" Wing asked not taking his eyes off Otto

"Only science or medical manuals I am afraid."

"That does not matter, he enjoys those books." the doctor led Wing towards the bookshelf and left him to it. Wing selected two of the most interesting books and returned to the room where Otto was lying. He was deathly pale and his breathing was shallow, Wing sighed and took up his vigil on the seat by the bed

"Sorry my friend. I had little choice in the books, we have _Advanced quantum mechanics_, I believe you have read that and _Why does E=MC²?_. Well let us go with the latter, sound much more interesting." Wing settled back in the chair and opened the first page and started to read.

* * *

"I wonder where Otto was last night, I did not see him after Raven left with him. I wonder what he had done wrong." Shelby stated, she saw Wing looking around and waved him over, he approached with a grave face

"What's up big guy?" Shelby asked

"You should come with me." was all he said, and turned to go, they followed confused

"Why is he always unconscious!" Shelby exclaimed grasping Wing's hand tightly at the sight of Otto Malpense on the bed surrounded by tubes and doctors

"Why are there loads of doctors scurrying around him waving hands about frantically!" Laura corrected Wing told them what had occurred

"What happened between him leaving with Raven and you being woken?" Laura asked quietly

"That, I am afraid to admit, I know not. I was pushed out of the room approximately twenty minutes ago when his heart rate plummeted. I waited then thought I would find you. You know the rest. I was not told anything else."

"Mr. Fanchu, Miss Trinity and Miss Brand, I believe breakfast is almost finished." Dr. Nero approached behind them, they turned jumping at his silent approach, it showed how distracted Shelby and Wing were, Laura thought

"Mr. Fanchu, you may have the first two lessons off to regain lost sleep, begin your day with Stealth and Evasion, but ladies I am afraid you can have no such liberty. If anything happens to Mr. Malpense you will be let out of your lessons instantly, the teachers are aware of this, but school life must go on. Of you go." he dismissed them,

"What happened to make him like this?" Laura asked their headmaster turned back to them a shadow crossing over his face

"I will brief you all later in the day. Come to my office at twelve exactly and I will tell what I know, you deserve this much for your recent successes inside and outside HIVE. You do not want detention for being late to Logistics and Operations ladies do you?" they left knowing complaint was fruitless

"And now we have missed breakfast." Shelby mumbled

"Franz or Nigel may have noticed we were not there." Laura replied absent mindedly, all her thoughts were on Otto and what had caused him to be that way.

* * *

Laura leant her head on her arm resting on the hospitals bed and sighed, one hand was holding Otto's her thumb running in circles across the back of his hand,

"And now I am talking to a guy in a coma." she groaned having not realised she had asked him what the answer to her question was out of habit

"Go away." she mumbled as her Blackbox beeped telling her someone had left her a message, it beeped again. She pulled it out of her pocket and turned the sound off without looking. A few seconds it beeped again, her eyebrows furrowed as confusion filled her, she pulled it out and looked at the screen, her head flew off the bed and she shot off the seat and stood leaning over Otto, but his eyes stayed resolutely shut when she called his name, she opened the mail from Otto

"Because E=MC²." she read off "OH!" she scribbled the answer in the box "Genius. Or I am a moron, either or." she told him, then sat again, her Blackbox beeped again

_Why thank you. You are not a moron either._ She laughed

"You can hear me?" Laura checked

_Of course, I am in a coma not dead or deaf._ She could almost hear the sarcasm in his voice

"How?" she asked leaning back in her chair

_Well, I am attached to the network of HIVE mind, I have been trying to get through for days, I think, I am not sure how long I have been like this, I have been busy, I went to the networks of London, New York etc. all the big cities, found out _plenty_ of fascinating stuff, then I started HIVE's networks, HIVE mind does not mind, he likes the company, then I realised I could hear you, I tapped into the Blackbox comms and have been trying to talk to you all, as you can see I have finally succeeded, but have yet to wake._ Laura read this growing more and more astounded

"Two months." Laura whispered, then jumped as his machines went crazy she grabbed his hand "Hey, its OK." she drew calming circles on it, he calmed and the machines returned to normal, a doctor came in a checked all his vitals

"He is OK Miss Brand." the doctor answered her questioning gaze

_Of course I am. I am so sorry._ Laura sat and kept drawing circles on the back of his hand

"Don't be sorry, though I may be thought crazy to be talking to you. _That_ you should be sorry for." Laura replied

_Yes Ma'am, whatever you say ma'am. What is the time?_

"Coming up to half nine." Laura replied after checking the time

_Tell me of life at HIVE, how is everybody?_ Laura laughed and settled into her seat

"Franz finally made it up the wall in under ten minutes, he got a standing ovation, but the act was not repeated despite the ovation, Nigel made it across the cavern without pausing or stopping." Laura laughed as she saw the heart rate spike in surprise "I know, we were all much the same, the three of us were put against the rest of the alpha stream in our year, we beat them, but with less finesse than last time, I was shot in the shoulder and Wing in the leg." she sighed "Those suits really hurt." she sighed

_That is the general idea._ Otto remarked 'wryly'

"Wing and Shelby are still very much together. No signs of splitting any time soon." Laura sighed "No more ransoms etc... what else is there?" she asked

_What happened to me? My memory is a little... sketchy._ Otto asked

"The new chief of security, his first day, meeting with Nero, it over ran, you went with Raven, we do not know what that was for, he guard shot you with a dart, you dropped unconscious, the chief of security was about three milliseconds behind you, courtesy of Raven, you were raced to the hospital wing, the next morning your pulse plummeted, about three days later it returned to normal. The security guy was a disciple. We are unsure what he hit you with though, that was not shared... that is about it." Laura shrugged forgetting he could not see her.

_Animus._ Otto stated answering her question _And you got that all from Nero?_

"Well... not exactly." Laura mumbled

_I wiped your traces, few and far between but the security tapes look clean now._

"Thanks."

"Hey Brand, so bored you are talking to yourself are we?" Shelby teased walking into the room holding hands with Wing, Shelby's Blackbox beeped, she glanced at the screen and laughed

"No, never." she told Otto

"I take that back, so bored you have gone crazy." Shelby stated now her box beeped her eyes flicked down then to Otto's face

"...How..." she finally managed to stutter out Laura grinned at her best friends face

"What'd he say?" Laura asked

"'You would have first hand knowledge of crazy.' Again, how?" she repeated Laura explained

"Clever." Wing commented "Sorry to tear you away, but we have to go unless you want to be escorted to your room by the guards along with a weeks worth of detention. What did he say to you earlier when we walked in?" Wing asked, unusually curious, his Blackbox beeped and he glanced at the screen

_Do they ever let go of the others hand?_, a smiled flickered across his face

"Surveillance camera's as well then." he remarked "I am surrounded by people of low moral." Laura stood, she squeezed Otto's hand, this did not escape the notice of Shelby nor Wing, though the latter said nothing, but the former raised an eyebrow and mouthed 'later' over the unconscious patient

"Bye Otto. I would say sleep well... but you already are." Shelby teased

**AN: Slightly strange granted, but off the top of my head, don't expect me to update so soon again, not amazing, have to do homework as well.**


	3. Thirteen weeks, four days and two hours

**AN: Thank you to all who have read and the one who has reveiwed! **

**You are brilliant AlphaFive! Sorry it took so long...**

"Sir!" the president looked up from his desk to see a flustered Artemis division worker be admitted to his study

"Yes." there was only one person he had been asked to be contacted for, a teenage boy with white hair, who had saved his life at least twice

"We have news..." the young man took his seat, he pushed his glasses up his nose

"Has Mr. Malpense died again?" the president asked wryly, the man flashed him a grin

"No sir, not again, we have a message from him." the president sat up straighter

"Can I see it?" the president was handed an envelope, he read the content, his eyebrows gradually disappearing under his hairline

"We have no proof it is actually him... but as we have had no other contact from him, we assumed it was him." the young man sighed and took back some of the sheets he was handed

"It is him." the president informed the young man, he raised an eyebrow expectantly "No one else knows those numbers."

"What? Not even your wife?" the Artemis division man teased

"No Sam, not even Evangeline. You know I do not like involving my family in dangers like that. You knew that and yet my brother still decided to join Artemis division and annoy me as much as physically possible." the president replied sarcastically

"Well, as a younger brother, it is my duty to do that until one of us goes to the grave, it is in the younger brother handbook." Sam replied with a grin

"Do you know what is in the older brother handbook? Never acknowledge them until you need them."

"Of course Mr. President sir, what should I do with this information?"

"I trust this source to be truthful, he personally has never withheld information nor done anything against me, arrest the men and women in his file, with the charges that are written on that sheet we should be able to keep them for life, if they try to run... well," the president broke off and his brother read the sheets

"It is a pity none of them got to see the inside of an American prison, the system has just been renovated." Sam completed

"You took the words out of my mouth. Dismissed." Sam stood

"You and Eva coming for lunch on Sunday?" he asked as thought they had not been discussing the murder of certain individuals moments before

"If we are still invited." the president replied

"Always, we could never rain check the leader of America." Sam gave a mocking salute, and left the room, he shut the door behind him

"George, where is Captain Reynolds?" he asked the receptionist who picked up a phone to check

"In his office sir." he replayed dutifully after hanging up, Sam walked towards the captains office and knocked

"Enter." Sam complied "What can I do for you today?" the captain asked removing his reading glasses Sam handed over the folder

"If they run..." Sam started

"Its a pity they never got to see the inside of a newly renovated American prison." the captain finished

"Correct sir. If you will excuse me, I have a search to be getting on with." Sam nodded to the captain

"Artemis working you hard?" the captain asked

"Yes, a young boy." Sam replied

"How long?" the captain asked referring to how long ago they had any record of him

"Apart from the fact he has died three times, never." Sam replied, the captain raised one eyebrow

"Impressive." they parted 'Yes unfortunately impressive,' Sam thought to himself.

As of two months ago they boys records had simply vanished, no record anywhere, not even the stuff they had already found and filed, now the moment they found anything, they printed it, to have a hard copy and saved it in three different places, that was the theory, it had not been proven as they had not found a single scrap on the boy. Until today.

Why hide so well, scarily well, if you are just going to email the president of the United States of America? They were running a trace on the email now, it should be done by now, they should be able to find out where he is,

"Sir, we have traced the Email." the voice drew him out of his daze

"And?" he asked

"Nowhere." the technician admitted Sam blinked

"Sorry, what?" Sam asked shocked

"It comes from nowhere. We cannot get a trace, you trace it, it goes back to our inbox. For all intents and purposes that email never existed. It was never sent, received, or travelled." Sam let out a gust of air and ran a hand through his hair

"That boy is bloody amazing." he summarised

* * *

"The larger a group of syndicates the greater the chance of having a traitor in your midst sir." Nigel answered

"Correct Mr. Darkdoom. I want a ten thousand word essay on the pro's and con's of having a large syndicate in my hand by Tuesday. Dismissed." Mr. Rector left the classroom seconds before the students who all groaned loudly the second he was out of earshot

"Eight thousand! They are upping out workload before dropping the lessons before exams." Shelby groaned

"See you later." Laura rushed off

"Where is she rushing off to?" Franz asked confused gathering his stuff

"Otto." Wing replied "His heart rate went all erratic last night, she is worrying."

"Oh, but he is OK, ja?" Franz checked

"Yes." Shelby replied "See you later, we should grab her some food, sneak it in past Scott." she slipped her hand in Wing's and they left

"They are up to something, they are spending much more time with Otto, he is unconscious ja? Why should they spend so much with a person who cannot answer back?" Nigel groaned at Franz, he was his best friend but he was clumsy when it came to feelings

"He may wake at any moment, but I agree, it is suspicious, Laura barely made the curfew last night. She has missed it twice." Nigel agreed

"I guess, and she never got detention!" Franz exclaimed he dumped his bag on the floor in their room then turned to leave "Food?" he asked Nigel groaned, but didn't complain as he usually did, they were serving Lasagne tonight, it was better than anything else he had tasted.

* * *

_Franz and Nigel are discussing your lack of detention for missing curfew recently._ Otto added after discussing some plans she had been designing

"Well, I did miss it twice, once was the day you died, they let me off then, and the other was yesterday, Ms. Leon and Professor Pike saved me, due to the fact we are sorting out their problems, they said next time I will not be so lucky." she finished adding a variable resistor to her plans and asked Otto's opinion

_I cannot see why it would not work, but... we should get the Professor to look over it later._ Laura agreed. The professor had only found out she was designing plans to change Ms. Leon back to human yesterday when he had found her in Otto's room when it had gone midnight.

When Otto had found Laura's embryonic plans on her Blackbox soon after discovering he could talk he had then pulled the professors original plans from his files on his computer and had compared the two, they had made a breakthrough last night and the time had flown by. Pike had been furious when he had found Laura, and had demanded to see what had caused her to me so unaware of the time, he knew real surprise when he saw it and knew her surprise at seeing the time had been real. They had shown him the plans and he had taken a copy to look through, he had come back to them that morning and presented is idea, it had one change, a small one, it narrowed down the chance of mistake more. Then Otto had spent the day studying it and had found one other change, now neither could see a thing to change about it

_You have to do a ten thousand word essay as well! _Otto teased

"I know." Laura slumped back in her seat and pulled his hand towards her, she had taken to playing with it, she had stopped when she realised she was doing it, but Otto said it helped him fight the Animus when she was doing it, so she continued. She was not sure what Otto was doing in his body or mind, but she would do anything to help him.

_As topics go it is not that-_ Otto's 'voice' dropped off, he had been speaking using the speakers on his Blackbox and his voice had gone. Laura sat on the bed watching his machines carefully, his breathing got shallower and his heart rate raced

"Otto, please don't do this to me." she begged then seconds after it stated he shot upright gasping explosively fully awake, Laura, after a few seconds of shock, wrapped her arms around him as he regained his bearings and breath and tried to stop his shaking body, the doctors rushed in, a few minutes later when they had let go of each other, they checked his vitals

"How many fingers am I holding up Mr. Malpense?" Dr. Scott asked finally

"Three fingers and one thumb." Otto replied a few doctors laughed

"He's back. Welcome back Mr. Malpense." the doctors gradually filtered out until one nurse was left

"Could you excuse us for a second Miss Brand?" he asked Laura stood and left a grin spread across her face she pulled out her Blackbox and saw it showed security camera footage, it was her accommodation block common room, it showed Shelby and Wing talking then pulling out their Blackboxes and reading the screen, then shooting off their seats and heading out the block

"Thank you, you may go back in." the nurse left and Laura saw Otto sitting on the edge of the bed, free of all tubes but still in a hospital gown, he stood when she entered, she hugged him then he pulled away a little and their lips brushed

"Welcome back." Laura murmured breathless and kissed him again, this time Otto pulled away

"Wing and Shelby are coming." he explained leaning on the bed, he looked a little pale in the face

"Are you OK?" Laura asked worried, Otto smiled

"Fine, just... weak." he summarised shrugging, they heard a squeal and Otto stood again in time to have Shelby barrel into him, he rocked back and took one step back to keep balance but she did not let go

"Never ever do that again." she growled "You had us all, especially Laura, terrified!" she finally let go and Wing pulled him into a manly hug

"Welcome back." Wing was always a man of few words Otto sat back on the bed and his friends piled on with him

"You have been asleep so long!" Shelby exclaimed

"Thirteen weeks, four days and two hours I believe." Otto replied with a grin

"And say you get two essays a week per topic, three in Villainy studies, and four in Political corruption that is what? Two hundred and sixty six essays." Wing commented Otto groaned as Shelby laughed

"And then at least two other pieces in most classes, average... Then factor in exams in one month!" Shelby teased then whistled "You have your work cut out mister." she laughed as Otto fell back on his pillows

"Most of the essays are only seven to nine thousand words though." Laura tried consolidating him

"Sure, that is why you were all set a ten thousand word essay from Mr. Rector." Otto replied and all three groaned

"I know! Its so cruel!" Shelby complained Otto shot up

"What about me! I have over four hundred pieces of work to do! And on top of that exams! And then current work! And the lesson time I missed! And the books I have to read! And finding time to sleep! That would be useful!" he sighed as the two girls laughed, even Wing was hiding laughter out of courtesy to his best friend

"That will stretch even your Organic super computer of a brain my friend." Wing commented unhelpfully

"And then factor in tutoring us..." Shelby added Otto raised an eyebrow

"You cannot stop now you are awake, no one else has made quantum physics so simple and, dare I say it, fascinating. You were tutoring all of us for exams and general work over the last month, it has helped a bundle. You cannot stop now." Shelby informed him

"She is right, you simplify it and change it in ways teachers can only dream of." Wing added

"I know, tactical education in terms of physics! Even the colonel saw my improvements on the grappler cavern when I thought of it as physics!" Laura added

"I am sorry Miss Brand and Trinity and Mr. Fanchu, but you must leave. Curfew passed half and hour ago, you have a pass though." they all jumped when they heard, then saw, Dr. Nero in the doorway they all stood and exchanged goodbyes,

"Here, you will have cabin fever already so you will have more use of it than me." Laura stated with a smile handing over her laptop.

"Thanks." Otto took it gratefully with a grin then they all filed out

"So, how is our most frequent patient feeling?" Nero asked sitting on the chair Wing had vacated moments before

"Tired, bored, frustrated and confused." Otto replied deciding Nero deserved the truth, he saw his headmaster stifle a smile "You can come in you know Raven." he added glancing at the door, a figure detached itself from the shadows and entered the room a wry smile on her face

"Welcome back Mr. Malpense. I am sure the rule breaking will sky rocket when you are set free." she commented wryly, that was as close to a warm greeting as he was ever going to get, Otto thought amused

"How long am I in here for?" he asked curious

"They want to keep you for two more nights, you should be able to go on Friday morning. I will let doctor Scott explain more." the doctor walked in with a clipboard that seemed to be ever present about his person, or easily with in reach

"Two days." he said dropping the clipboard on the bed, Otto reached for it and read it in seconds

"CAT scan?" he asked confused

"We want to scan you so, if something like this happens again or if you are injured, we know what normal responses are from you, the same with the blood test and MRI scan etc. But one night here, tomorrow the tests begin, then another night, more tests the next morning to check that the results are concordant, if they are not, then I am afraid you stay another night. Apart form that you are now a free man," the doctor summarised a smile drifted onto his face

"Free you say?" he teased

"Within the confines of the school I assumed it went without saying." the doctor quickly fielded the glare from Nero, he had obviously had practice at covering his tracks, Otto's Blackbox beeped and he glanced at the screen, it was a message from Shelby, he opened it and found the list of every single homework set since he had fallen into his coma, in chronological order the subjects colour coordinated

"So thoughtful." he muttered and dropped it on the bed Raven glance at the screen and Otto saw a smile fight to break free

"How long does he have to catch up the work?" she asked for him

"By the end of the academic year he needs to have passed his exams and have every single piece of homework in, unless there is a very, very good reason." Nero replied then stood and left, Raven following closely, Dr. Scott left glancing at his clipboard as he did so he re read the scans he had drawn of the boy when he had been unconscious, his brain activity was off the scale, all of his results were out of the ordinary, he glanced back into the room and shook his head, something was very strange with that boy.

**AN: so there you go, please review! Again thank you to the one who has!**


	4. -Inanimate

**AN: As I can't reply any other way, thank you for you review Guest! It is much, much appreciated :)**

"Evening medication Mr. Malpense." the nurse entered the room but there was no response from the boy on the bed, he was sitting on the bed looking at his Blackbox, the light from it illuminating his face he put the medicine on the side and gasped, the pages were flickering past so fast on the screen of the machine that he couldn't focus on them, and this boy was _reading_ them, he went to get the doctor who came intrigued

"Gods above." the doctor gasped "Mr. Malpense." he called "Otto!" he laid a hand on the teenagers shoulder and the pages stopped flickering and a few seconds later he looked up

"Evening medication." Dr. Scott finally managed to get out from shocked lips, Otto took his medication an unhappy look on his face, he turned back to the doctor who was opening and closing his mouth trying to get words out

"Yes?" Otto asked

"Were you reading that?" he finally managed to get out

"Yes, I am trying to catch up on the information I have missed, I am almost there, then I just have to write around two hundred and sixty six essays as my friends keep so kindly reminding me." Otto added wryly

"OK, now I see why you are working." the nurse commented then left the room, followed by a still stunned doctor, Otto picked up his Blackbox and finished reading.

* * *

"And he is asleep, what a surprise." Shelby commented walking into Otto's hospital room then next afternoon followed by Wing and Laura, the latter went to the laptop and logged in, she laughed shocked

"No wonder he is asleep, he has been busy." she spun the laptop around to the others who gasped

"He has written twenty three essays!" Selby exclaimed waking Otto

"Twenty four, one is not saved yet." he told them rubbing his eyes Laura sat next to him after he moved across to give her space

"Oh, blood test." Laura ran a finger across the plaster on his arm Otto held out the other one

"Blood, plasma, lymphocyte, red blood cell, white blood cell, pH, vitamins, resistance check. And Animus." he added

"Fun times." Wing winced "I hate needles." he shuddered the three others blinked at him in shock then Otto burst out laughing, the two girls joined in while Wing sat there a confused looked on his face, they eventually stopped then Otto grinned widely as a doctor came in with a tray

"Wing, your favourite thing!" he teased as the doctor uncovered a syringe with a long needle, Otto held out his arm and watched Wing as he blanched and turned away from the needle, Shelby took his hand and squeezed it,

"Wing." Laura called and he looked up reflexively then his grip Shelby's hand tightened and she gasped in pain

"Sorry." he murmured glaring at Laura, she had called his name as he needle was going into Otto's arm

"Hey big man, all done, you can stop glaring at Laura now." Shelby teased he looked at her and grinned, he kissed her gently

"Sorry." he murmured, she kissed him again but a pillow was thrown at them

"Get a room!" Laura and Otto exclaimed in unison Wing stood and pulled Shelby with him

"If that is the attitude you are going to take then we will leave..." Shelby announced and turned to leave

"You can eat here if you want, Dr. Scott said they would let you." he told them Wing sighed

"I promised I would go over something with Nigel over dinner, and I do not have good experiences with hospital food." Wing replied sadly "But I will see you later." they left and Laura slouched against Otto he grinned as she kissed him gently, they broke off and heard applause at the door they looked up into the amused faces of Wing and Shelby

"Finally! It has only taken four years!" Shelby teased

"I thought you were going to dinner?" Laura asked not embarrassed, secretly she was glad it was out, both of them were. Not that they were ever going to tell Shelby that.

"Mr. Malpense, can I have a word with you?" Raven appeared from, quite literally thin air, and the three students dutifully left the room and the Russian sat by the bed, then got up and started pacing

"Something bothering you?" Otto asked in Russian

"Yes, I got the most peculiar e-mail a few weeks ago with a compilation- wait." she spun around to face Otto eyes flashing dangerously "Since when did you speak Russian." she demanded

"Since I read a book teaching me Russian." he replied

"It is good, I didn't notice, your accent is almost impeccable. What year was that?" she asked grudgingly accepting his accent

"Last year, just before the Russia trip, I learn it then perfected my accent while in Novosibirsk." Otto explained "The E-mail?" he prompted Raven resumed her pacing

"A compilation of photos, each in a pair, a computer disfigured one, then a whole one. You would have nothing to do with thirteen disciples suddenly appearing in my inbox would you?" she asked pointedly

"How are they?" he asked carefully

"...Inanimate." she summarised eventually. Otto nodded "Why the curiosity?" she asked, curious herself

"They had great fun with me at HOPE, never there in person, their disfigured faces on a screen telling minions my side what to do to me." he shuddered as a haunted tone entered his voice, Raven looked at him pity in her heart, it was too much to go through at such a young age, she glanced at the computer screen which was still on at the side

"Twenty four already, not bad. Did you get the one on 'Techniques to use in situations where you have no idea what you are up against'?" she asked a grin flashed across Otto's face

"Yes, it begins with; jump off a bridge onto a train going two centuries fast, then get herded towards the middle after cutting your way in, then get almost killed by black robotic spiders and... well you heard the debrief for that one." Raven hid a smile at the memory of the awful mission

"Yes, that did occur to me when I set it. I was only covering a lesson but it has always been a source of amusement seeing students faces when they hear you say the words; 'now for homework an essay' and equally seeing what situations people come up with." Raven sighed and stood as Otto's dinner came in on a tray "I should be going, I believe Miss. Brand is waiting outside." she left ad Laura waked in

"So what is on the menu today?" she asked as her meal was brought in and put next to Otto's

"Ravioli in a tomato sauce and a green salad and then ice cream with flakes and chocolate and strawberry sauce, and special for me blue, green red and white pills." Otto replied

"Oh, I should get in here more often." Laura stated amazed "What are the pills?" she asked starting to eat

"One to help me sleep, another to help rebuild my strength, one for vitamins, because apparently I am not eating enough, and then a painkiller." he replied eating a piece of ravioli.

"Fun, are you not really hungry after your long, long sleep?"

"No, as there is no one else in the hospital at the moment I am allowed any food I want, and as I ate little for lunch and just a drink for breakfast, they are worried." Otto replied

"What about yesterday?" Laura asked worried

"I ate nothing." he admitted finally "That is why I have this." he held up his hand to which an IV drip was in it, it had not been there yesterday

"Ouch." Laura summarised a grin flashed across Otto's face

"Scared of needles?" they both laughed

* * *

"OTTO! You is being better!" Franz exclaimed then hugged the white haired teenager hard

"Yes, Franz, better, but I cannot breathe." he gasped, the German let go immediately

"Sorry." he mumbled

"Welcome back Otto." Nigel added as they laughed as Franz brushed down Otto's jumpsuit

"You is being too thin, are you not eating?" Franz asked and Otto saw Laura raise an eyebrow

"Thirteen and a half weeks in a coma will do that to you." Otto replied wryly

"But I know you woke up nine days ago, surely you would have put the lost weight back on and why have you only just got out?"

"Tests, a lot of tests." Otto said flashing a grin a Wing, who grimaced

"I have seen more needles in this past week than I care to do in a lifetime." the Asian replied Otto's Blackbox beeped and he pulled it out and sighed, he pulled out a box of pills from his other pocket and shook five out.

"Druggie." Shelby teased but Laura just went to get him some water

"What are they for?" Nigel asked, intrigued

"Pain killers, 'strengthener' to build up my strength again, vitamins and one to help me stay awake." Otto replied indicating each pill as he went

"Two pain killers?" Nigel questioned "Are you in pain?" worry clouded his face

"Not with these." Otto replied tying to field the question,

"How are you on the catch up work?" Shelby asked, Otto shot a thankful glance her way, she had changed the topic effortlessly then he held up one finger and glanced at his computer screen

"Laura, could I have a hand please?" he asked then led the way to the printer

"You are done?!" she exclaimed and was shushed by the librarian with a glare

"Yes, they are just printing. But only the essays and half the assignments, I plan to do the work from this week tomorrow and then the Assignments, short thing compared to the essays, on Sunday and next week." he concluded Laura smiled and kissed him

"That brain of yours is... impressive." she decided Otto laughed quietly and kissed her again, the printer beeped to indicate it was done, Laura kissed him and turned to the printer and picked up half the pile that had printed, Otto grabbed the other half and a stapler, they returned to the desk Otto had been at all day as the four of them already there swore quietly

"Binary brain, been working hard have we?" Shelby teased shocked breathless Otto dumped the essays on the table and started to staple the two, three and four page essays together, the others grabbed staplers from other places in the library and helped

"How much more do you have to catch up on Otto?" Franz asked amazed, he had little work ethic himself

"I have Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and today to catch up on, and the smaller assignments." Franz whistled

"Does that include the nine thousand five hundred one from Ms. Leon and the thirteen thousand from Dr. Nero?" he asked as they all made a face, Dr. Nero had set the lovely longest essay yet in the lesson just gone

"That's this evenings work." Otto replied with a shrug

"Along with other... work." Wing replied glancing at Franz and Nigel, they didn't want anyone else knowing about the fact Otto was teaching them, solely because then they may want it as well, and Otto was too nice to say no.

They heard the doors open and whispers fill the library

"And this is the library." Ms. Gonzales the biotechnology teacher announced as she rounded the corner followed by a group of scared looking thirteen year olds the biotech teacher smiled at Nigel, he was he best student then her eyes widened a the pile of essays on the desk

"These are fourth year Alphas. And the pile of work you see on the table is thirteen weeks worth of essays in the fourth year. You will be brought up to this level slowly, and remember it is thirteen weeks. How many do you get weekly?" she asked Nigel who's eyes flicked nervously to the group of beginners

"We average nineteen ma'am." he replied and saw the students jaws drop and a few pale "But you need no worry, what stream are you?" Nigel asked quickly backtracking

"Political/Financial." Ms Gonzales replied, a relieved look passed over Nigel's face for a second, the new students probably hadn't even noticed it

"You will only get five a week in your first year, then seven, then ten, then thirteen, then sixteen, and in your last year twenty maximum. Be glad, the Technical stream starts off with six a week, and ends on twenty one a week." Nigel told them, their eyes widened

"Why does he have thirteen weeks of essays?" the question was whispered quietly from one to another Otto grinned as they all heard it, would the teacher answer it

"He was in a coma Miss Greene." Ms. Gonzales told the girl who had whispered it "Now, you should get into the proper attire." she herded them out the library

"You are good with them Nigel, 'you are quintessential alpha material'." Shelby quoted Raven from one of her many rants at the four of them and their 'juvenile behaviour'

"Raven seems much more fond of you now? Why is that Otto?" Wing asked, she must have talked to him during one of their sparring matches

"I spoke to her in Russian." Otto replied with a shrug "She did not realise at first, but said my accent was almost impeccable."

"Done!" Laura exclaimed triumphant as she stapled the last essay, "Now into groups for the teachers..." she trailed off and looked at the piles of essays around the work area and every single HIVE student at the table groaned

"Francisco." Shelby stated and started a pile

"Ms. Leon." Otto started a new pile as well

"Ms. Gonzales." Nigel sighed

"Mr. Rector." Wing added, the other teachers each got their own pile then bound each teachers work together. Each student took one teachers essays, some took two, and they left the library

"Thanks." Otto told them grateful when they dumped them all in his and Wing's cell

"I would say any time, but... I never want to hold a stapler again." Shelby groaned flexing her hand

"Anyone want a snack? Friday evening in the canteen they have all the left overs. Normally dessert." five out of the six brightened, Otto was not hungry

"I'll come with you." Otto agreed finally slipping his hand in Laura Franz sighed

"They are putting things in the water again." he muttered to Nigel who laughed

"Like you don't mind Anna having a crush on you." he teased

"Oh! Franz tell Auntie Shelby." Shelby exclaimed and Franz glared at Nigel

"Later." he sighed and sped up towards the canteen

* * *

"No, if you do that then all the transfiguring energy could go to the cat again, Ms. Leon may be even more stuck than before, with the direction couplings and a non-variable directional coupling will lead to all the energy going to the human not animal." Laura insisted

"With the non-directional coupling the chance of success is greatly magnified, if you go with what you are saying, Laura is correct, Ms. Leon may be even more stuck than before. It may be reversible." Otto agreed

"Oh, but don't listen to us, we are just fourth year Alpha students." Laura added glaring at the final year Technical students. The two of them were in a final year Technical class as opposed to Tactical education. Professor Pike was letting them argue it out. He had asked Otto to come along as he could not take part in Tactical education yet, but he had insisted Laura come as well, claiming she had designed most of it, the professor had agreed, and Ms. Leon had talked the colonel around

"Well, you are just agreeing with the person who designed this. Just because it is written down like that does not mean it is correct. You are just agreeing with the designer." a technical student scoffed he was the same one who had exclaimed 'But they're just fourth year _Alpha_ students, how can they help!' when the two of them had entered the room, professor Pike was finding the entire scene highly amusing, he had been about to come to the Alpha's aid when he realised they were more than capable themselves

"Oh, I wonder why we are agreeing with the designer, Otto could you guess?" Laura asked mock confused, Otto bit back a smile

"No, I can't either." he replied then looked at the designs "Whoever did must have thought it through a lot, would you not agree James?" he asked the student who was always mean to them, the student agreed

"It was well thought out, and combined with the old designs, it is better, it looks more likely to work. Professor who did design it?" he asked glancing at his favourite teacher, who raised an eyebrow

"Why do you think I have fourth year alpha students in here?" he asked, every student in white jump suits gasped and looked at the two in black

"You!" James exclaimed incredulous

"I don't know what you are talking about, how could we, mere fourth year alpha students, design this?" Laura teased

"Why are you not in our stream?" another asked who was astounded someone outside their stream could do this, let alone two people two years younger than them

"Whatever they did to get into HIVE must not have been technical enough." James taunted causing Laura and Otto to laugh, the professor bit back a laugh

"They scored too highly on all the tests to be put in the technical stream, and technically Mr. Malpense could have been put in the Political/Financial stream with what he did as well." Otto raised an eyebrow

"I still cannot believe that was actually you." Laura sighed Otto grinned

"And back to the discussion." Professor Pike called "Mr. Malpense, can I have a word?" they walked to the side of the classroom and the other student stared at Laura still shocked she had designed this

"How many essays did you have to write when you woke up?" Laura heard the professor ask

"Two hundred and sixty six sir." Otto replied drawing the attention of the students to him who all gaped shocked

"How is it going? I only ask because I want you passing your exams, don't spend any more time on this than necessary. I don't want you failing due to extra curricular work."

"No sir, I am working my way through the essays, still have quite a few assignments to go though, I have not spent much time on this since I woke, as I could see little to change." Otto replied

"Two hundred and sixty six!" James gasped "Why?" he breathed

"Thirteen weeks and four days in a coma." Laura replied

"Oh." James replied "But still." he added in his defence

"We get roughly nineteen essays a week, and what do you get? Twenty maximum, the longest you have ever received was seven thousand five hundred and that was only as a punishment." Laura replied

"By the time we are your age we will be getting around, optimistically, twenty five a week." Otto added

"But only at three thousand words in your year. Surely." Stephanie, another student asked Otto and Laura laughed "What?" she demanded

"I long for the days of three thousand word essays. That was the beginning of second year when the teachers were in shockingly good moods." Otto explained

"What do you get now?" James asked, curiosity overpowering his dislike of the Alpha stream

"The worst that has been set by Professor Pike was seven thousand two hundred and fifty words minimum on the pros and cons of using a quadruple direction coupling over two double direction couplings." Laura sighed, every student looked at the professor

"You set different work for each stream, by the time each stream is leaving, the henchmen are doing three to four thousand word essays-"

"Three thousand!" Otto and Laura exclaimed shocked "Sorry." they added when the professor raised an eyebrow

"And the Technical and Political/Financial streams are doing roughly five thousand, but the Alpha stream are doing," he glanced at Otto and Laura "Sorry, ten thousand word essays, and that is just for me. My essays are usually less, but more practical." he explained horrified faces looked between the teacher and fourth years

"Don't worry, I fear ten thousand will be low by then." Otto told him

"But that means Villainy studies..." Laura groaned

"Think of Political corruption." Otto told her

"Funnily enough I really don't want to. We are already averaging ten thousand words in Political Corruption four times a week." Laura sighed

"And then a average of nine thousand in Villainy studies four. Thankfully the rest average out at seven thousand three times a week." Otto added

"Oh, you missed it!" Laura gasped an evil grin covering her face "Last week Ms. Leon said she is upping the essays early, 'as you are capable alpha stream students I will be giving you three a week at eight thousand words, then four next year at ten thousand, and five the year after at between twelve and fifteen thousand,' I forgot to tell you."

"What is the longest essay you have ever been given? You said averaging. What is the longest you have ever been given anywhere?" a student asked her eyes burning with curiosity, Laura thought about it, then her and Otto said the same thing at the same time

"Colonel Francisco."

"The longest we have ever got from him was three thousand." James stated cautiously

"He likes Technical stream more than Alpha. Last year we got a twelve thousand five hundred word essay on the safety of a wrist mounted grappler unit than a hand held one. It wasn't the longest, but it felt like it." Laura sighed, every technical student winced

"Professor, what will their finishing numbers be?" James asked an evil glint in his eye

"Fifteen thousand lowest average, thirty six a week." the professor admitted the entire room seemed to re evaluate the Alpha students

"I pity you." one student admitted "Imagine a thirteen week coma then!"

"Five hundred and four essays, along with all the assignments," Otto sighed doing the sum easily in his head "Next time turn off the life support." he muttered to himself

"So, enough about the implausibly large amount of homework every Alpha stream student receives are you all happy with the design?" the Professor asked, they all nodded

"When is it being built?" James asked

"Now, if that is OK?" Pike replied "You can all start it, I will continue, any help will be greatly appreciated." Otto grinned at Laura, they both loved building things.

**AN: Here you go, forgive the techie scene, not my strong point. R&R please! :D**


	5. We picked a bad day to visit'

**AN: here you go, please R&R...**

"There is nothing else to do. We have to send them Natalya." Nero sighed

"I know Max, but you understand my unwillingness, Malpense only woke up recently, he has been in lessons for two weeks, but only tactical education full time for one week, last week he only did the gentle lessons." the Russian sighed

"I understand and concur, yet, if it is HOPE, Sebastian Trent's successor is bound to be as much the megalomaniac he was. I can also safely say, if Malpense is not aware of this yet, he won't be oblivious for long." he added wryly Raven sighed

"I will gather them in briefing room three." she left and headed towards the biotech labs where the four students were being taught, the door hissed as it opened and Ms. Gonzales stopped teaching to meet her

"Students Fanchu, Malpense, Trinity and Brand?" the teacher asked

"How did you guess?" Raven sighed nodding Ms. Gonzales called the students down and the whispering started, Raven sighed, the rumour mill would be grinding again, it was already working over time with Otto being unconscious and the repeated absences from HIVE. The students reached the bottom of the steps, the teacher handing them their homework as they filed past and they left the classroom. They reached the briefing room as a MWA MWAA MWA filled the school.

They all took their seats and looked at the assassin expectantly

"HIVE mind, if you would.." a video started playing on the screen. It displayed a stark room with people bound around the edges, about two thirds were children, the rest adults. At the end two words came on screen

_'Two days'_ then the screen went black,

"HIVE mind could you show us it from the beginning but pause when I say?" Wing asked the video started playing "Pause." the video paused on a hunched over figure and three others "Zoom and increase resolution if you would." then Wing swore under his breath

"Lao." he murmured Otto cursed, knowing what the name meant

"HIVE mind, pan right." Shelby said her voice faint then she also swore

"Right again." Laura asked and joined the swearing

"What?" Raven demanded, disliking being out of the loop yet apprehensive at what they might say

"They have my family." Shelby growled her anger thinly concealed

"Mine too." Laura added her voice cold and even

"They have my father figure and siblings." Wing added, the situation darkened in Raven's mind, suddenly the video was moving and Otto sighed

"I thought I recognised them." he sighed "It's Mrs. McReedy. She was in charge of my orphanage, I believe those are the children, but I have not been there for so long, it is hard to tell." he stated disconsolate, then Otto moved the video again and then situation became more dire

"HIVE mind, get Nero, now." Otto demanded seconds later his face appeared on the screen and he was filled with fear when he saw the usually panicked faces of his most efficient and usually calm team

"I will be there in a few minutes." the connection went and not a soul moved in the briefing room they heard the door open and Nero walk in he looked at the screen and froze, staring back at him, defiance in his eyes was none other than the President of the United States of America.

"Oh, shit." Nero drew the latter word out, it sparked movement in the room

"That about sums it up." Otto agreed solemn

"When do we leave?" Wing asked his voice telling there would be no dissuading him, even so the Russian assassin had to try

"No, we need professionals on this, sorry." she stated her voice hard, normally this was the voice no one answered back to but in front of her were four very stubborn, very talented teenagers, three of whom's family's were being held, because of them

"They have my family!" Laura and Shelby exclaimed

"You know what happens when we do not go." Otto argued

"We are going." Wing stated decisively

"No." Nero stated

"They have my father figure and my brothers. They are being held because of me. I am going." Wing repeated

"I am with him." Laura and Shelby agreed

"Mr. Malpense? I am waiting for your argument." Raven stated wryly, hopelessly

"I have neither claim, I may have lived with most of those people for thirteen years, they may have brought me up, but I had no links. I had no attachment. As for now, I have attachment to these three, their families are in danger, I am going for them." Otto replied his voice deceptively calm. The two adults sighed

"I am going as well, Max you should stay," Raven stated when Nero opened his mouth she continued talking "If they are using this, if it is HOPE, they may be trying to get HIVE as well, HIVE and GLOVE in one, you are in charge of GLOVE and HIVE, if you go, it all goes. You are staying here Maximilian and that is final, if I have to render you unconscious to do so, I swear I will." their headmaster sighed

"So, what is the plan?" he asked

"When was it sent?" Laura asked

"Twelve hours thirteen minutes and twelve seconds ago." HIVE mind answered

"That gives us just over thirty five hours to get there. Can you trace it?" Otto asked, a map appeared on the screen and kept zooming in, as it did Otto sat up straighter and straighter

"London... East end... the slums... a dilapidated, decrepit building that has been burnt at some point and never renovated." Shelby summarised

"Thank you Shelby. You are so complementary." Otto replied sarcastically

"What?" Shelby asked

"The building." Otto stated

"What about it?!" Shelby exclaimed

"I was getting there!" Otto replied rolling his eyes "It's in the east end of London, that's Ropery street and Lockhart street." he explained indicating roads on the map "The houses around there are mostly destitute but the building they are in is what used to be St. Sebastian's orphanage, they got moved four years ago into a modern one in West end because of a fire, lucky for some I guess." Otto finished

"Do you know a way in?" Raven asked

"HIVE mind, the schematics?" Otto asked then reached out to the schematics with his mind, he formulated three entry routes, they lit up in red, green and black on the map

"From what I discovered as a child there are many unknown entries and exits, these are the three I believe should still be 'open'. They had the soundest structure and are the least likely to have collapsed, I believe the red is the most likely to still be open, then the blue, they were old prohibition tunnels, the black was a disused tunnel, dug, but never used, parts may have collapsed over the years but they are the three I would recommend." Otto lent back in his chair and studied the schematics

"Am I the only one wondering how he knows this much about this building?" Shelby asked

"It's my orphanage." Otto replied with a shrug "I had not told anyone that though." he added glancing at Wing and Laura

"Deduction, it is an orphanage, I knew he was an orphan, the only way he could know about the building in that much detail is if it was his 'home'." Wing explained

"And he said 'as a child'. Therefore implying he went as a child, then I followed the same logic as Wing." Laura added "Now back on topic." they all studied the schematics

"The shroud is leaving in half an hour, Professor Pike is expecting you." Nero left the room deep in discussion with Raven

* * *

"If you lived in an orphanage in east London, why did Raven get you at the seaside?" Shelby asked as though the question had been burning to get out since she had found out where he had lived he flashed a grin at Laura

"I had an... errand to run." he fielded the question

"Oh! What you did to get into HIVE?" Shelby asked

"That amongst others." Raven told Shelby who sat up straighter intrigued "You have twelve hours in flight then we will pick up Darkdoom en route, then a few hours until you need to start getting ready." she told them then ascended into the cockpit again

"So..." Shelby asked "What were you doing at the seaside?" she repeated she groaned when Otto remained silent "Brand, you try and get it out of him." she exclaimed

"I already know," Laura replied trying her hardest not to look, or sound, smug

"When?!" Shelby demanded glaring at her best friend

"Since the first Science and Technical lesson." she admitted

"And I assume you know about her." Shelby asked Otto pointedly who shrugged

"Yes." he replied

"Ah!" Shelby groaned then flopped on the seat, her head in Wings lap "She won't tell me!"

"Well Otto has not told me." Wing consoled her "A hint?" he asked Otto shrugged

"You never asked." Otto defended himself "It was obvious what had got you into HIVE, and you never asked about me,"

"And if I was asking now..." Wing asked

"The Prime Minister mooning the audience was no surprise." Otto summarised and both of the clueless people in the plane looked at him incredulous

"No. Way." Shelby exclaimed sounding very American a smile spreading across her face "Raven, is that true!" she yelled

"Yes." the voice drifted back, uncharacteristic amusement colouring it slightly

"And you Laura?" Wing asked

"I hacked the military communications network." she stated with a slight smile and a shrug

"Impressive, I remember Pike telling us how hard it was." Wing commented

"Aye, but, like Shelby our friendly neighbourhood Wraith, I did not cover my tracks as well as I thought I had. They were on their way to arrest me when HIVE got me, the same as they were with you Shel, the only one who got away with it was Otto, how?" Laura sighed

"Hypnotism." he summarised "I hypnotised the Prime Minister by affecting what was on his Teleprompter and re wrote what it read, but as the screen is angled the only person who can read it is the one who is supposed to, so no one else knew what was going on, as far as they knew, their leader had gone crazy and spontaneously decided to moon the audience after ranting about things he was not supposed to." Otto replied with a slight smile

"Impressive. It reached American headlines." Shelby told him, Otto raised an eyebrow

"Nice, but how did you know?" he asked

"It was being broadcast over the radio on my way home, the news announced the British Prime Minister had gone crazy and mooned the audience, then next thing I know I am being shot by a dart and then I wake up on a plane next to redhead here." she shrugged "I still don't know who came to get me."

"Neither do I." Laura sighed

"I managed to take out some of my captors after I had been hit, but they got me eventually. As for who it was, I do not know." Wing explained

"I got this crazy Russian ninja assassin." Otto sighed

"What are you drawing?" Wing asked glancing at the page Otto was doodling on

"Nothing in particular." he sighed Laura took the booklet and added some doodles

"Ugh, circuitry." Shelby sighed "I am going to try and sleep, night." she sighed and after kissing Wing lightly they both shut their eyes

* * *

"Try to keep them safe my friend." Nero told his friend Diabolus Darkdoom

"I will try my best, it normally ends up with them taking care of me." he replied a frown covering his face "They are here, I have to go. Goodbye Max." the screen went black "Wish me luck." he murmured to himself, then gathered himself and went to meet the Shroud

"Darkdoom." Raven greeted him at the top of the ramp, he nodded at her then looked behind her to where four students were sitting chatting quietly

"How do they look so calm?" he asked amazed Raven's lips twitched

"They have learnt what most do not until it is too late, panicking will get you no where." Darkdoom laughed humourlessly at her words

"Where is my seat?" he asked, Raven gestured upwards, as soon as they were seated in the cockpit Raven took off

"How long?" her companion asked

"Four hours." she replied "They are getting ready." she added

"So who is going fist to get changed?" Otto asked holding up his therm-optic camouflage suit eyeing it unhappily there was silence then Wing sighed

"I will then." he sighed and entered the bathroom to dress he emerged

"Yes, as uncomfortable as last time." he commented

"But better than the old suits and the first three generations of these." Otto commented

"Well then, as you are so complementary of them you can go second." Shelby teased Otto sighed and grabbed his suit, which he had dumped unceremoniously on the seat and locked himself in the bathroom, he stripped off his black jumpsuit and pulled on some thermals, they had discovered they made the suits much comfier and kept you warmer a few trips ago, and they were on the HIVE kit list, so were provided by the school, they were meant for the trips to the Arctic and places similar to those weather conditions, but they were tolerable for this as well.

"I agree with Wing, as bad as ever." he sighed emerging and trying to flatten his hair Shelby laughed but Laura went to try and help him, she kissed him lightly

"Ugh, get a room." Shelby groaned

"Go get dressed then." Laura replied and kissed him again

"How are you _still_ kissing!" Shelby exclaimed emerging from the bathroom Otto sighed and broke off the kiss

"And you in Wing and my room when I was in a coma, how long was that? Ten minutes, and the only reason you broke off was to breathe!" Otto replied Shelby gasped and looked like she was considering slapping the white haired teen, even Wing turned slightly pink

"Why were you watching?" she gaped

"I was trying to talk to Wing, he was not answering his Blackbox so I thought I would find him on the security cameras then I saw you, I left, had a lengthy conversation with HIVE mind, went back and you were still kissing!" Otto replied Laura laughed then went to get dressed, Shelby stalked off and went to sit next to Wing with a 'humph' who put his arm around her Laura slipped her arm around Otto's waist and they sat opposite the other couple trying to get comfortable in the suits

"So can I introduce you to my parents?" Laura asked Otto who shrugged

"As what?" he teased

"Oh, toy boy of course." Laura replied Otto laughed

"I would love to meet your parents, but only after you have seen them again, you need to talk about the past four years, they did send you off after all, they are probably wondering what you are up to." Otto replied

"Well, I doubt I can tell them much. I can't imagine going up to them, seeing them really." she sighed "I last saw them when I was thirteen. I am now seventeen. And to approach with the words 'Hi, I haven't seen you for years this is my boyfriend Otto Malpense." Laura sighed

"I can't either." Shelby agreed "'Hey mum and dad, this is my hunky, unbelievably sexy boyfriend Wing Fanchu. He's Japanese." Otto and Laura laughed at Wing's face

"I can quite safely say I have never been called that ever." he stated slightly shocked "Tall, muscled, cute, but never hunky or sexy." he added

"That I can believe." Otto agreed "And now I am as tall as you!" he added, pleased with this fact, he had been short for most of his life

"I think you have changed the most since we met Otto, physically." Shelby commented

"Thank you, I think... how so?" Otto asked

"I mean, your hair is much better, but still white. You have grown a lot, lost all the baby fat, you look... you wouldn't believe how painful it is for me to say this out loud but, hot." she sighed "You have muscles and, somehow, you have gained a bit of colour in you skin. You don't look nearly as geeky and nerdy as when we met." she shrugged

"And that is the fist time I have been called hot. Aside from temperature." Otto replied

"Well, a day of firsts my friend." Wing stated raising an eyebrow

"You are hot, and cute and very, as Shelby would say, hunky and pleasing to look at." Laura whispered in Otto's ear so the other two couldn't hear

"And you are stunningly beautiful as always." Otto replied with a smile he kissed her lightly

"Please say those comments would have been appropriate to be on TV before the seven o'clock watershed?" Shelby commented

"Perfectly." they both replied in unison

"They weren't." Wing sighed then whispered something in Shelby's ear, she turned slightly pink then whispered something to him, now he kissed her

"Oh, get a room!" Otto exclaimed and threw the notebook at them, Wing caught it without breaking the kiss

"Imagine what would happen if Raven came down now." Laura whispered in Otto's ear he smiled

"What about now?" he asked and kissed her, after a few seconds they heard someone clearing their throat, the four flew apart and saw Raven poking her head through the hatch, she raised an eyebrow and the four students turned red

"That." Otto murmured to Laura, who bit back a laugh, Raven and Diabolus Darkdoom descended from the cockpit and took two seats facing the four others

"You know the plan, Darkdoom and I go in the right hand tunnel Malpense thinks should still be clear, and the four for you take the left, if that is closed go to the third tunnel then if that is closed too go down ours. If they are all closed we go overground. We have thirty minutes. You have the two katanas, disperse them as you see fit, just please don't lose them, I hope you do not have to use them at all. Do you have everything you need? And are there any questions?" she asked, she looked at the four teenagers, in any other teams faces she would have expected to see worry and uncertainty, but in these four she just saw determination and focus. It calmed some of her nerves. Some. Nero would be very unhappy if harm came to any of them.

It always amazed her to see how they could change from bickering to calm determination, or in this case, kissing to calm determination. It was dangerous, it almost made her forget how old they were, the fact they were only in their fourth year and had two more to go. Otto had only woken from a three month long coma two and a half weeks ago and one of those was spent in the hospital due to complications that arose found in the tests he had taken. She stood, Diabolus following her lead and left them

"They are good students, good agents." he murmured when they were back in their seats

"I know, they are exactly what HIVE aims to 'produce', yet because of that I forget they are only children." Raven admitted

"Natalya." Diabolus was one of two people whom she knew of that knew her name and were still alive, Nero being the other. "They will do you proud. Do not worry, they will survive, they will always come back. I only wish Nigel was more like them." he sighed

"Nigel is a good student, he is good Alpha stream material, he is not quite as... confronting as those four." Raven replied wryly "He will make a good leader, he proved that with the new Pol/Fi students a few weeks ago, calmed all their nerves and made them want to stay." Darkdoom raised an eyebrow

"Really. Impressive, I know how everyone wants to leave HIVE in the first few weeks."

"Those four got the furthest anyone has, I was tasked with following them and was impressed, they worked well as a team then and now..." she shrugged

"It helps when you are such good friends and more than friends." Diabolus stated amusement colouring his face, his eyes glinting with mirth

"Da, it helps." Raven replied "There." she stated sitting straighter and pointing at an abandoned warehouse complex, gone was any joking her face was serious and all business "We are almost there." she called down the steps nudging the joystick gently

"Seatbelts." Wing murmured as the plane jerked due to low turbulence, they all strapped themselves in and leant back in their seats, Laura squeezed Otto's hand, even though he would never admit it he dislike taking off and landing in planes ever since the incident with Air Force One, the floor tilting always made him remember that flight, Laura had guessed this but would never comment on it. She felt him relax when the wheels touched the ground, she drew circles on the back of his hand as he calmed, he nodded at her gratefully still too shaken to do much else, she released her seatbelt and kissed his cheek

"Down and safe." she murmured

"Now, lets go save your family." he replied and kissed her on the lips also releasing his seatbelt "Then you can introduce us." he flashed her a grin and she immediately felt better "They will be fine. Your mum, dad and little brother, think of how proud he will be when he can say 'my big sister saved my life!'" he murmured, his hand resting on the side of her face

"Thank you." she murmured back resting her hand on the top of his, he always knew what was bothering her, just like she did him really.

"Come on. We need to get going, we have nineteen hours until the deadline passes. With half an hour to find the tunnels then an hour walking through them that will be roughly seventeen. Then the priority will be finding the room with the hostages finding and taking out the leader." Raven stated

"When you find the room contact us on comms and we will come to you or vice versa. We will try to search for the leader and you the room, but that is not necessary." they all nodded and left the shroud, it was night time, around midnight

"Meet here, not the shroud, at nineteen hundred. If the others do not arrive within ten minutes we have the rendezvous point we discussed at HIVE." they all nodded at Raven's words remembering the room in the Library abandoned due to cuts.

"Try not to let the President see you, even more so the secret service agents. If they are in different rooms you can talk to your families, other than that I am afraid you cannot have any contact with your families, we have made arrangements for you to talk to them soon, before we return to HIVE. You can thank Natalya for that, she spent many minutes arguing with both Max and me over that." Darkdoom contributed

"It is only fair they can talk to their family!" Otto exclaimed "They have been kidnapped and been dragged across wither the Atlantic, half the planet or the length of Great Britain all because of me," he stated Diabolus sighed

"Much the same reasoning Raven used on us." he sighed then stood "Your tunnel is closer, so we can work best we should aim to arrive at the same time, we will go now, you leave in five minutes. Good luck." he turned to leave

"Dasvidanya." Raven murmured Otto returned the sentiment then she was gone, out in the dark with Darkdoom.

"What did that mean?" Shelby asked "I always thought it meant see you soon? Was I right?" she asked Otto nodded

"See you soon, until next time. Either." Otto replied, they fell silent

"Which groupings this time?" Wing finally asked, they had changed groups most times,

"I will go with Otto, with one katana, he can use it, then Wing and Shelby with the other when we in." Laura finally replied and the other three nodded

"Beginning of next academic year... one month of villainy studies assignments OK with you all?" Shelby asked

"Not the essays?" Wing checked

"Aye, only the assignments. That is fine with me." Laura agreed Otto laughed quietly

"Remember our first competition? Three months of all assignments and essays for political corruption." Otto sighed "Three months of first year work." he sighed "We now get more in one than three." They had cut down the amount of work they had staked on 'winning'. They had had so many missions they had started to do this every mission, every time a different subject, sometimes one or two essays or all the assignments for a few months. They had tried one month of all work set, but it was impossible, there was too much, so now it was only the assignments. Otto and Wing had got their own back on the three months of assignments with three months of biotechnology work.

"Remember the three essays for stealth and evasion we didn't have to do?" Laura asked Otto he grinned it had been the first time they had worked as a pair

"Good times."

"We should be going." Wing sighed standing, he held his hand out for Shelby who accepted it, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply, they both waited for comment from their friends but got none, it was soon clear why, they were doing much the same, they broke off and Otto kissed her nose

"Don't look so worried, we will be free of assignments soon." he teased, she laughed. This had been another reason they had done the games, it released tension and caused amusement, good for times like this

"Otto are you sure you can reach the katana?" Wing check for the third time

"Yes!" he exclaimed with a smile "You?" he checked wing reached behind him and drew it effortlessly, Otto did the same, but he quickly put it back again, he hated the blade.

* * *

Penny leant towards Tom "We picked a bad day to visit." she murmured he looked at her

"Lets blame Lucy. She is the one we came to visit, three weeks and we can take her away to live with us!" he whispered back

"Quiet!" the man in black hissed, there were three of them in the room, each in full black, no skin showing, black helmets and visors, the only things not black on their outfit was the belt of silver canisters around their waists, even the guns in their hands were black. They had been having a hushed discussion in the centre of the room something about a deadline approaching, Penny scanned the room.

It was full of the orphanage children and their teachers, others in the room were five adults, one was dark skinned with black hair held back in a ponytail he had three boys next to him all of them also dark skinned with long black hair tied in a ponytail, the others she assumed were couples, there was one couple both clearly American, by the clothing and dying of hair, and their general posture.

Every item of clothing on both of them was designer and they were both blonde, the woman fake blonde, but the man was natural, with them were four children, the oldest about twelve, a boy, then next two were girls, twins around seven, the youngest was about three, another boy. All were blonde haired and blue eyed.

Next to them was the last couple, they both had black hair, and around them were three children, two boys, one girl. The younger boy had shockingly red hair and looked about three, the other boy, he looked about six had black hair like his parents, the girl was next to the American oldest boy, they were about the same age, twelve/thirteen, she too had black hair like her parents. The boy and girl were grasping the others hand as if their life depended on it. Every one of them was in cuffs.

Penny sighed and looked at the ceiling, it was covered in beams and there was shockingly no holes in it. She remembered this as the play room in her old orphanage. She sighed yet again and got a glare from the guard

"What I'm bored." she mouthed at him, his eyes narrowed and he started towards her, but there was a crash outside, all three guards turned towards it two figures ran in, dressed fully in black also holding guns

"Perimeter breach, they want you to investigate, we have been told to take your posts." one new man ordered, the three hesitated "Well go!" the new guard exclaimed his voice displaying an underlying threat, the three guards that had previously been there ran away, the other new guard was staring at the non American couple

"No, they are here." the original man said seemingly randomly, he glanced up and then when his gaze was back at eye level two figures materialised out of thin air, every single person in the room exclaimed in shock, they heard footsteps and one of the original people in black and one of the newcomers disappeared again, a guard ran into the room,

"Why are you back here?" the new man, the one who had materialised, she knew it was a man now he sounded like one, exclaimed

"Has the perimeter still been breached?" the original man asked

"Yes." the guard who had come running at the sound replied

"Then why are you still here?" both exclaimed at the same time, the guard turned and ran, a few seconds later a woman's voice spoke

"We are clear," then two materialised again and glanced at the doorway, then an explosion sounded

"She always did like the extreme," a fourth voice sighed

"FIND THE HOSTAGES! THEY MAY HAVE ESCAPED!" voices were heard outside the room and a singed man ran in the four people who had been there seconds before were gone he spun around confused, noises of fighting were heard outside the room, the man ran to the door but hit something in the doorway, he backed away and glanced around the room

"Sir! They are here!" he exclaimed, one man ran into the room

"Did you see how many before their suits kicked in?" the new man asked

"Not for very long sir, but I am pretty sure it was four sir." the man replied

"And two more outside... oh, so they sent them all and more! We should kidnap the president more often. So four..." he turned in circles then pulled out a silver cylinder, he activated it and white gas sprayed out the end, he sent one to each corner but kept turning in a circle

"Awww, he is so cute!" a female voice mocked "To think they actually work!"

"I don't remember the last time they actually worked." another female voice contributed

"MI6 I believe." now a male voice

"Oh, the first gen camo suits." a fourth voice, another male, added they two guards paled visibly, one cursed

"Now, now, there are young children here, they are probably scarred enough by being kidnapped, you do not need to scar their minds by profanity as well." the first female voice tutted

"Trinity am I right?" a pale sir asked, the American family sat up straighter confusion coating their faces

"Its the Americanisms. You are just so predictable!" the second woman teased

"Brand." sir added, now the other couple jerked upright, their faces portrayed hope

"And the Scottish are gone!" the last male speaker jested now

"Fanchu." sir stated more certain, now the dark skinned group sat up straighter but their faces were inscrutable

"Don't worry, the British are coming!" the American exclaimed the guard froze

"No." he mumbled

"Malpense." Penny's blood froze _Otto_

"Hello." the first male speaker replied

"No, no no." the guard repeated looking alarmed "You never said we would have to face them all at once! You said separately! You said you doubted they would actually turn up!"

"Oh, shut up!" sir replied

"Yes George, shut it." Trinity told him one person in black appeared, the other three followed suit

"Boo." the one nearest the door taunted, "Did you really think you could kidnap their families and not have us come?" he asked, Penny realised it was Otto the guard paled and bolted for the door, Otto let him go,

"Otto Malpense, Shelby Trinity, Wing Fanchu and Laura Brand." Sir gaped, they heard commotion and a thud outside in the corridor

"And then there was one." Laura teased

"You know Artemis is looking four of you, Apollo looking for two as well, and then don't even go into other intelligence agencies. Something to do with AWP, though I seem to recall they were looking for five children..." sir taunted

"They will never find anything." Otto replied, his voice cold, Penny assumed it was to do with the comment about the missing 'child'

"What makes you think that?" sir asked, talking to bide his time

"One, our school is wiping any traces of our old lives, I just hacked it sped the process up, as far as Artemis, or their British counterpart is aware, the Wraith was killed when trying to escape from being caught." Otto replied

"Really? How?" Shelby asked

"Shot, while trying to escape custody, as for military hacks well... never happened, equipment malfunction." he added

"Damn, I knew I was friends with you for a reason." the one Penny thought was Laura laughed

"As for the school fees, well... Shelby has a lovely bank account nicely hidden from prying eyes, same with Wing, as for Laura..." Otto turned to Laura who shrugged

"Please, give me some credit. It was a Swiss bank account, its like Shelby stealing diamonds from the French Imperial bank."

"I thought the Swiss were the safe banks." Shelby asked

"Never. What about your fees Otto?" Laura asked

"Scholarship student, though technically my benefactor did die in my second year..." Otto shrugged "Did you really think I could afford those fees?"

"Binary Brain, you practically stole a government when you were thirteen, you managed to get nuclear launch codes off the president of the frickin untied states of America, _by asking_. I am pretty sure you could find that money." Shelby replied

"Why are you telling me this, don't people always tell people, then that person escapes and all the plans fall apart?" sir asked, the four suited people laughed

"True, but then again." they all turned to the door, through which another person in black walked through, she turned to Otto, the one Penny thought was Otto, and asked something in another language, she thought it was Russian, he replied in the same language sounding, if anything, meek and scolded. That was not at all the Otto she remembered. Then again that was Otto four years ago, nothing he had done today was like the Otto she remembered. Penny looked at the man in the middle she knew only as sir, he was pale and slowly backing away

"Remember me?" the new woman asked a slight Russian accent colouring her tone, the man looked at her then at the five behind her, another had appeared behind her, and his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed the Russian lady laughed, a scary sound that set her nerves on the edge

"That is a first. You four, you know what to do."

"Yes ma'am," the four replied in unison the lady threw the man over her shoulder and left the room taking the other person with her, the four remaining people removed their helmets and Penny gasped, it was Otto and he was... _cute_.

"Shelby!" an American child gasped

"Hey mum and dad-" she started

"Please don't finish that statement." the three others stopped her, she grinned at them

"I wasn't going to!" she replied with a grin pulling something out of her hair she handed the three of them something and then kept one for herself, she was what it was when Otto went to her

"Hey Penny, Tom. This must be your little sister, you've grown haven't you Lucy." he greeted them then used a hair pin to unlock their handcuffs and he moved onto the others she glanced at the others and saw the rest of the four were being hugged by their families Otto finished unlocking the handcuffs and Wing turned to him

"Otto, they want to meet you." he called Otto went over to them and started talking a another language

"Since when did you speak Japanese?" Shelby exclaimed

"Since my fathers funeral." Wing replied

"Which death?" Shelby teased Penny was confused not thinking it was a very good joke until Wing sighed

"The second one, you know that, it took him just under three hours to learn remember? He was surprised." Wing replied

"Oh, the steep learning curve." Shelby now teased Otto

"For him, it is. This is the person who caught up over three months of work, that was two hundred and sixty six essays, in nine days. Then got us to help him staple them." Laura replied

"Speaking of work, we so won." Otto stated

"No, we did, we were here long before you." Shelby replied indignant

"I am with Shelby on this." Wing added

"Of course you are." Otto teased

"We do one month of your Science and Tech assignments and you two do one month of our stealth and evasion?" Laura suggested

"Deal." Wing stated, the three others grinned at him

"We are slowly bringing your morale down." Shelby told him patting him on the shoulder

"Probably, but it will be a while yet until I am the one suggesting things like finding the questions to the end of year exams, or where the next exercise is." he replied

"I have not yet forgiven HIVE mind for changing the questions." Otto sighed

"Hey, you don't even have to revise! You can read a book and you absorb it!" Shelby exclaimed

"Oh, you didn't seem to mind this fact when I was explaining the physics behind re entering the atmosphere, or explaining quantum physics in simple terms." he replied

"We need to be going, or Raven will have our heads, literally." Laura replied "I will see you soon." she told her family hugging her older younger brother

"I can't wait for school on Monday." he exclaimed when she let go

"Why is that?" she asked grabbing her helmet

"I can tell them all my biggest sister saved my life!" he exclaimed Laura laughed

"Won't that be amazing." she replied flashing an amused look at Otto she stood and said something she couldn't hear, he whispered something in her ear and she laughed then grabbed his hand

"We really should go." she repeated

"I have to agree." Wing agreed, they put their helmets on and left the room Penny stood up

"Wait, Otto!" she exclaimed, he turned confused in the corridor, she felt tom and Lucy watching worried

"Thank you." she told him, he half smiled

"No problem."

"I also picked this of sir, the man I think was in charge," she pulled something out of her pocket "Tom got one of them." she added

"Thanks." Otto took the two books and handed one to Shelby who opened it and swore quietly Otto opened his then passed it to Laura as Shelby passed it to Wing. Inside were lists of names, a couple of whom they recognised from previous hostage situations, and known disciples.

"We have to go." he stated and they left no arguments, they had all seen the books and the tranquillizer darts were going to be wearing off the secret service any minute, they ran.

**AN: So the siblings are here, not yet at HIVE yet though.**


	6. HOPE

**AN: Sorry it took so long!**

"I think if we plan in right we can be back in time for dinner tomorrow, then we only have to live through Friday then we have the entire weekend to recover." Shelby stated thinking about HIVE, they reached the orphanage where the new St Sebastian's was, and where all their families were they entered

"No, if we plan this right, we stay here long enough, we can get Diabolus back to where he needs to be, Australia at the moment, then we fly back to HIVE and arrive late afternoon, spend the rest of the afternoon in debrief, then we are free for dinner and have the entire weekend to recover, you left out factoring in this little stop." he told Shelby who laughed

"Your morale compass is becoming a HIVE morale compass!" she teased slipping her arm around him

"And truth be told, I don't think I mind." Wing replied, the other three gaped at him then burst out laughing

"Another truth is, I actually miss my jumpsuit." Laura sighed looking down at the normal clothes she was wearing, they were black jeans, t shirts and cardigans for the girls, and zip hoddies for the boys

"I know what you mean, I feel like I am being judged... its strange not wearing the same as everyone else around you." Shelby agreed, they reached the door behind which was their pasts, their families and friends, or in Otto's case, the people he lived with Laura stopped and held Otto's hand tighter

"I'm scared." she murmured he stood in front of her and kissed her lightly

"Truth be told, so I am." he replied with a small smile "But I know for a fact your brother is very excited to see you, he is jumping up and down in excitement," she looked at him curiously he effortlessly connected with Laura's mother's phone and created a connection to his Blackbox, he pulled it out his pocket and showed her the picture Laura's mother had taken, she laughed

"Do they have security cameras?" Wing asked coming to stand next to them,

"One, here." he pulled out Laura's Blackbox and showed them the feed he had routed to it both relaxed as they watched their family wait, also nervous, for the family they had not seen in years Shelby returned the Blackbox

"You ready?" she asked Wing who shook his head mutely, Otto looked away as she kissed him lightly "Neither am I, lets all go." they knocked and Ms. McReedy opened the door

"Otto!" she gasped and pulled him into an embrace

"That's new." he mouthed to Laura who bit back a laugh they entered the room and split up to go to their respective families, Shelby went to her mum and hugged her tightly, Laura was smothered by her little brother and Wing was hugged by his youngest brother. Otto stood by the door feeling out of place and a little jealous of what each of his friends had, and he never would. Then out of nowhere Lucy, Penny's little sister, came barrelling down the corridor and launched her self at Otto who just caught her, she laughed happily when safely in his arms

"Hey Lucy." he whispered

"My sister and Tom talk a lot about you." she exclaimed

"Do they really! All good things I hope." Otto replied

"Lets go to them!" Lucy exclaimed but then the two in question appeared at the doorway Penny stopped dead, now she could see him fully Otto had gone from being cute, to downright hot. So had his dark skinned friend.

"Do you want to go to them, I think they are worried about you." Otto told Lucy who shook her head and wrapped her small arms around his neck

"No." she replied stubbornly Otto shrugged at her sister

"Sorry." he mouthed

"It's fine." she mouthed back

"Everyone there are tea and biscuits at the table!" a new lady called everyone converged at seats around the table, still surrounded by their family, Otto still had Lucy who refused to get off his lap and Ms. McReedy on the one side and Laura on the other, across from him was Wing and Shelby. They all heard the conversation between Laura and Otto

"So who is this?" she asked indicating Lucy a sad look came across Otto's face

"Lucy." he replied the two across the table froze and looked at Lucy, every conversation stopped as the four students looked at Lucy

"Lucy." Shelby sighed the Lucy at the table looked confused

"Oops." she mumbled "What did I do?" she asked looking worried Otto smiled at her

"Nothing, we just had a friend with the same name." Wing told her every person above the age of ten noted the past tense in the sentence but only one put it together with the conversation in the old orphanage

"'Something to do with AWP, though I seem to recall they were looking for five children.'" Penny quoted

"Biscuits!" a small child exclaimed running into the room, that was followed by a tidal wave of children all who swarmed the table and took Penny, Tom and Lucy away with them

"Where did you go Otto?" Ms. McReedy asked quietly

"You weren't told!" Shelby's and Laura's mothers exclaimed in shock

"No, were you?" she asked equally shocked

"Yes, and told to donate an obscenely large sum of money to an off shore bank account. That was after telling us men were coming to arrest my daughter," Laura mum replied

"Same circumstances with us." Mrs. Trinity added "I still am not entirely believing of what they told me though." Shelby laughed

"You should be." Wing replied

"Were you asked?" Mrs McReedy asked Lao

"No ma'am, I am not their parent, but his father was asked." he replied

"I thought you were legacy?" Laura asked Wing

"Was I legacy?" Wing asked Lao

"You were, but you were taken off the list at three months of age. I guess they kept tabs on you."

"That's... worrying." Wing summarised

"At least they had you in the first place! We were found!" Shelby replied

"No, we were caught, they just got us first, its Otto who should be worried, you were never caught. They were just casually watching you." Laura replied Otto shrugged

"I was, just not by any law enforcement, anyway what would they arrest me for." he replied mock innocence on his face

"Causing unfair comedy amusement?" Wing suggested

"Perpetual humiliation for the rest of that man's life, inside or outside of politics?" Shelby tried

"Hacking the secure network?" Laura sighed "And anyway, it can't have been making the Prime Minister moon the audience on live TV that got him into HIVE as he was got seconds after he finished doing that. Its what else he was doing I would like to know."

"I pulled our student records a few months ago. They have lists of our... accomplishments. Half of them I was not aware I was doing." Otto replied

"I swear you are probably the only person on the planet who can get _more_ work done while in a thirteen week coma than out of a coma in thirteen weeks!" Shelby exclaimed.

"Last time I check completing two hundred and eighty five essays in nine days counted as work." Otto replied he had been unhappy when he woke and realised he had to do the current work on top of the previous work, upping his essay count nineteen essays. Then the four of them noticed that every single person around the table was watching them as if they were crazy. Otto pulled out his Blackbox when it buzzed

"We have an hour." Otto stated and passed it to Laura

"And a catch up work list, ouch." she threw it to Shelby who groaned, even Wing looked upset

"Upping the work load yet again." he sighed

"How much?" Shelby's sister Chrissie asked

"Sixteen essays, three at ten, three at nine, two at eight and eight at seven thousand, then add that to the ones we got on Monday and Tuesday that's another at ten, eight and nine." Wing stated reading of the screen

"Don't forget the assignments." Shelby added "Four per subject, well all but ST."

"Don't forget double for you two in S&E." Laura replied with a grin

"And a hell of a lot of revision." Otto added, the other three groaned

"I had forgotten about that. Thanks." Shelby groaned

"End of year exams?" her mother asked

"Oh yes." the four replied

"Like GCSE's or A levels?" Laura's mum asked

"Like what?" Shelby asked but the two British students laughed

"Sort of, but in these you cannot retake." Laura told her mum

"Well that's good, it gives you motivation to learn properly the first time around." her dad told them, the four students grimaced

"Yes, they know all about motivation at HIVE." Wing replied

"Oh they do." a new voice replied, it was cool and articulated, her accent had connotations of an American, Otto's blood ran cold, he knew that voice, he handed his Blackbox to Laura with one word on it she glanced down;

HOPE

**Hopefully the next update will be sooner!**


	7. I'm only doing what I can

"Natalya, please stop pacing, you are making me worried." Diabolus complained when he had finished his conversation with Nero

"You agreed with me, we all agreed, it was too easy, we shouldn't have let go." Raven paced back in the other direction then she Blackbox buzzed

_Stop pacing_.

It was from Max, then a new message came on the screen, she froze a reaction to stress

_We were right, HOPE is here. An American, says she knows Otto._ She threw the machine to Darkdoom who immediately became all business, he restated the conversation with Nero and quickly explained the situation then he gestured for Raven to come over

"Raven." Nero said with a glance at the retreating form of Diabolus "We cannot let them get Malpense again."

"Yes sir, I know." she replied her mind already planning and changing strategies,

"We have a team on the way, if it all go up with a bang, let it, if you can get them all out alive." Nero's eyes softened

"Natalya." she looked him in the eye "Bytostorozhnym." Be careful.

"Max.." the Russian looked unsure "Spaseebo." she replied, thank you. He nodded once

"Call if anything comes up, you know how long back up will take, but if they found out they were there we can't trust anyone else. Call when you are done, preferably with Malpense, Fanchu, Brand and Trinity in one piece, and yourself." he added wryly then ended the call Raven turned to Darkdoom fighting the emotions inside of her

"Lets go." she stated he nodded once and turned to the door

* * *

Diabolus Darkdoom jumped as Raven laid a hand on his shoulder, he was crouched on the room of a neighbouring building the cold biting at him

"I found a way in." she murmured "If we get split up find the students. Get them out, if Malpense is not with them I will go after him, your priority is getting the other three out," she stated

"Yes ma'am."

"Good luck." she stood and started moving before he could return the sentiment, he was pretty sure it would not be appreciated in any case, she treated luck like time, she knew it always ran out.

* * *

"Laura, stop staring at the camera!" Shelby hissed fighting with her cuffs, they were electronic so she couldn't pick them

"I will in a second, stop fidgeting!" she replied "It's distracting!" Wing sighed, it was going to be a long day with these two.

They were locked in a small room, he guessed it was a basement. He had no idea where they were but they had all been gassed and moved. There was one security camera and a reinforced door. But no Otto. Their families were there also, the three students had been searched but the others had not, HOPE knew what they were doing, they knew who was dangerous and who was safe. The three of them had been the first to wake up, then gradually the others had come to, they all looked terrified whereas the three students looked bored.

Two did anyway, Laura had not stopped looking at the camera since she had found it around four hours ago. Suddenly Laura sat up straighter, hope covering her features

"What?" Shelby asked

"Wait for it..." she trailed off then a grin spread across her face and she slipped her cuffs off she stood and turned to her family who were slowly removing their handcuffs as well thoroughly confused

"Otto." Wing sighed Laura smiled

"Of course, he moved the camera so it is no longer looking at us. Do any of you have any technology that has wifi?" she asked the room Shelby's mum pulled an iPad out of her bag

"Will this do?" she asked, Laura grinned and took it off her gratefully

"Thank you." she sat down and turned it on "What I would give for a Blackbox." she sighed dejectedly

"There I can help." Wing stated and called to his family, they each produced a Blackbox and brought them over

"How?" Shelby asked as hers was handed back to her Wing grinned

"HOPE." he replied cryptically "They don't know we have Blackboxes so I took them off all of you when they entered the kitchen, gave one to each of my brothers and one to Lao, we also have Otto's. Which do you want?"

"Mine, but open Otto's." she replied and took hers back gratefully "Man I missed you." then she sat leaning against the wall and started typing,

"Open it?" Shelby asked confused looking at Otto's box Wing smiled and took it back and pried off the back of the box and pulled out a small container

"Animus antidote." Shelby gasped Wing shrugged

"He has carried it on him since the Amazon." Wing told her

"Smart."

"OK. We have seven minutes and thirty seconds until the guards come back in here, Shel, the door if you would be so kind." Shelby pulled off her shoe and pulled her lock pick pack from the sole of it while her family looked on eyes wide

"Can you get the cameras on a loop?" she asked as she crouched by the door

"One second.." she drew the words out her fingers flying across the touch screen, it beeped

"Is that a good or bad beep?" Wing asked

"Depends on your perspective." she replied her typing getting faster "Bad, its a thirteen layer security, normally used in banks, not the Swiss kind, and the Tech on my Blackbox doesn't work on it, this defence has been invented for this purpose."

"And the good?" Wing asked

"One, I get practice, and two," there was a good beep "It's still rubbish security no matter how many layers." she was still concentrated on the screen her fingers flying, she stopped typing and stared at the screen muttering to herself

"Laura! What are you doing? Why are you stopping?!" Shelby asked

"Dude, trust me, get the door and-" she grinned "Three... two... one." she paused and the iPad beeped yet again "I just tripped the automatic reset of all systems, we have two hours and fifty nine minutes until the system resets by programme, the cameras are on a loop, the alarms are disabled, all electronic locks on any doors are off. And now..." she typed a few keys then;

"OK." Laura paused then "You two should have the real live feeds of the cameras on your boxes, the guards are not near here at the moment but they could be- oh shit." Laura gasped her eyes wide

"What?" everyone demanded

"Laura!" Shelby exclaimed her friend tore her eyes from the screen

"What!" she exclaimed back

"Look at his vitals. He is alive!" Wing told her, Laura took a deep breath

"For how long? You know what happened last time HOPE got him! We swore we would not let anyone get that stuff near him again and now its been _inside_ him twice, he has a bloody IV drip if the stuff!" Laura replied

"Laura, camera thirteen." Shelby called "Look at camera thirteen!" she exclaimed and pulled the iPad out of her frozen hands and changed cameras "Hello Raven, see crazy Russian ninja assassin has come to get us!" Laura snatched the iPad off her and her fingers were flying again

"Shelby! The door!" Laura berated Wing watched on the security feed as Raven pulled out her Blackbox and read the screen, she glanced at the security camera and nodded pulled Darkdoom into an alcove as alarms rang

"What's that?" Mr. Brand asked worried Laura grinned

"Oh, nothing dad, an alarm was just tripped at the north of the complex, as we are speaking every single guard on the base is running towards the level one breach in security." she summed up

"As we are on the south side of the complex we are safe." Shelby added when she saw the worried faces

"Where is Raven going?" he watched the security feed on him box he saw Raven rush off leaving Darkdoom to find the way on his own, then he pulled out a technical device and also glanced at the camera confused then headed there way

"Are you doing that?" Wing asked realisation dawning on him Laura laughed humourlessly

"I am only doing what I can." she replied

"What did you tell them?" he asked

"About the cameras, alarm and guards, I also gave her a feed of the live cameras and directions to Otto, to Darkdoom I gave the same, but directions to us."

"Done." Shelby stated and opened the door as Diabolus slipped in

"Nice timing!" Shelby commented amused

"We need to go, all of us." he added looking at the rest of the room, all of whom seemed to be in shock, Laura glanced at the screen of the iPad

"You two stay, Raven needs help." Laura stated showing them the screen

"But surely Wing should go-" Diabolus started but he was shot down by the three students

"No, one fighter here one there." Shelby stated over ruling Diabolus status as adult and leader "Go." she added to Laura who, with one last futile glance at her family, bolted out the room and was gone.


	8. Doctors and Nurses

Laura backed into the corner slowly, she had been fine until a few seconds ago, a bit battered but alive. She had taken out multiple guards, much fewer than Raven, but Laura had only rendered them unconscious, Raven was not opposed to killing them, Raven had slashed at the last guard and he had fallen to the floor

"Thank you, it was needed and very well done." then they had heard pounding feet, more guards flowed into the small room with the bed in the corner, Otto was lying on it getting paler by the second, his veins getting blacker, as he was gradually being pumped full of Animus, Laura had knocked a few more guards out and all that had been left was the leader, the man who had walked into St. Sebastian's kitchen all those hours ago, Sebastian Trent's daughter, Anna. Raven fought her and was gaining, the daughter was made to retreat unfortunately in the direction of Laura, trapped in the corner, she looked around the room

_What would Otto do?_ She asked herself. She spotted a syringe on the table between her and Otto she grabbed it and the bottle next to it, she read the contents

Rohypnol.

Perfect. Laura grinned, she sucked some into the syringe and stabbed it into the woman's neck, only a little, Laura did not wanting her forgetting any information they might need to get out of her, the woman collapsed to the floor and Laura threw the syringe on the table and turned her attentions to Otto she studied the layout of the tubes

"Can we just take him?" Raven asked worried yet cautious

"No, give me three minutes, I think she's still alive." Laura added gesturing at the woman on the floor, then she lost herself in thought,

Raven watched the young girl study the medical items and go about stopping it methodically, she slowed the flow of the Animus until it was eventually stopped then paused to watch his vitals, Raven knew for any normal person they would be deathly, but Otto was far from a normal person as you could get. She watched Laura pull as syringe out of her pocket and inject it into the IV drip, slowly the colour came back into Otto's face, the blackness faded a little from his veins and slowly his breathing deepened, then his vitals dropped.

In no time at all Otto was flat-lining.

Laura spun around a grabbed a bottle from a draw and sucking the correct volume of whatever it was into a syringe she injected it as expertly as any experienced doctor into his IV drip, slowly the numbers became safer and both girls released breaths they did not know they had been holding, what felt like hours but could only have been seconds later Otto's eyes flickered open

"Hey," he murmured Laura hugged him pulling him up right, Raven saw the pain flash across his face as he tried to hold back a cry, Laura must have sensed it as she let go, Otto fell back to the bed unable to stay upright

"Oww." he groaned rubbing his side Raven leant forward

"May I?" she asked indicating his top, Otto nodded and Raven pulled up his top to reveal three beautiful bruises, she pressed them lightly and he hissed in pain

"Sorry." she muttered not used to saying the word

"What's the verdict doctor?" he teased, Raven hid a smile

"Three broken ribs, there are three places you can injure a person to incapacitate them, they obviously know you well enough to know you need all three." she told him wryly

"We should be going am I right?" he asked brushing off his injuries like she would "Is everyone OK?"

"Shaken, shocked at the way Wing, Shelby and I responded, thanks by the way for the cuffs." Laura told him helping him off the bed, Otto wincing as he went

"Any time. Nice work with the cameras, sorry I was no help, I was...otherwise engaged." a hint of a smile forming

"Thanks," she replied and slid his arm around her shoulder to support him "Do you have the other?" she asked Raven who picked up the body of Miss Anna Trent

"Sorted, lets go, as fast as you can, I believe we have all the guards and the others are waiting for us. Back up should be here in a few hours and sort the place out." she added looking around at the bodies. Otto took a hesitant step forward and winced, Laura took some more of his weight

"Thanks." he muttered "Sorry." he added "I am a little slow today."

"Otto you just died, I think we can forgive you." Laura replied

"I didn't think I died. Did I really flat-line?" he asked amazed

"For around one and a half seconds then the adrenalin kicked in."

"The antidote helped by the way, greatly." Otto added the conversation dried up

"Keep talking." Raven told them, they looked at her curiously, well Laura looked Otto tried to turn then cursed "He moves faster when talking, it distracts him I guess." she explained

"How many lessons have we missed now?" Laura started

"Well we missed the second time lucky ninety three percenter, Franz and Nigel will have done it, wonder how they got on?" Otto replied Laura laughed

"Maybe next year, the third year exam in fifth year, missed due to... unforeseen circumstances."

"Nearly there." Raven told them when they turned the corner and saw the door

"OTTO!" Shelby exclaimed running up to him and hugging him, he cried out and she let go

"It is good to see you my friend." Wing greeted and slid under Otto's other arm helping to support him "How bad are the injuries this time?"

"Three broken ribs." Laura replied

"Oh, _the_ three broken ribs?" he asked Raven who nodded

"Unfortunately." Otto added wryly

"Where are they?" Laura asked when Shelby opened the door

"They are all the the warehouse three streets over, one nearer than the shroud, you may want to drop _her_ off first." Wing stated

"And you, Mr. Malpense, is coming for first aid." Raven added

"See you later." Laura told Shelby and Wing who grinned and returned to the warehouse whereas the other three, plus one unconscious person, kept going. Raven dumped Trent in the back of the shroud and cuffed her hands and feet, then cuffed her to the floor and wall, much to the amusement of the other two

"Remind me never to get on her bad side." Otto muttered

"I thought you'd have realised that when she beheaded the other woman." Laura whispered back handing him some painkillers she had found

"Please don't start playing doctors and nurses on me." Raven called over to them

"I never though I would hear those words come out of her mouth." Laura remarked quietly and the assassin moved away Otto ginned and kissed her lightly

"Always one for surprises." he replied, Laura kissed him deeply

"Please don't die on me again." she murmured when they broke apart Otto smiled slightly

"I promise to try my hardest to stay alive." he replied, she smiled slightly

"Raven, how long until we have to leave?" Laura asked

"You can have three hours." she called back "And don't go getting kidnapped again." she added

"Feeling better?" Laura asked

"Truthfully... no. If anything worse" Otto admitted "I will stay here, you go see your family." Laura crossed her arms

"No." she replied stubbornly and glared at him, Otto glared right back but caved

"Are there any other drugs?" Otto asked resigned, Laura searched around and pulled a small bottle out of the first aid kit

"Oxycodone?" she asked curious Otto shrugged

"If it works." he replied, Laura prepared a syringe "When did you get so medically knowledgeable?"

"I watched the nurses while you were in the coma, and you had so many tests when you woke it was easy to watch and analyse what they did, I sat there trying to work out what you would see, you always saw happenings in simplified ways, so I tried to view the world like that. This is what I got out of it." she admitted then approached Otto with a needle, she smiled wickedly

"This may hurt." she teased Otto laughed and uncrossed his arms so she could get a vein, he winced when the action sent jolts of pain across his torso

"Sorry." Laura sighed

"It's OK. I can normally deal with it." he replied, she slid the needle into his arm and pressed the plunger then she grabbed the box of plasters, she puled one out and placed it over the injection site, then grabbed another on and placed it over the place where the IV drip had been, then she went to put them away

"Wait." Otto touched her arm stopping her she turned confused "I need more." he explained the reached for the box

"No." Laura scolded smacking his hand "Tell me where." she commanded Otto indicated seven more needle pricks then two more IV drips holes and lastly all the scratches he had got fighting against them

"Next time I will be more careful." he stated meekly as she glared at him and rebuked him for being so careless

"Does he need anything else?" Laura asked Raven as she descended the steps from the cockpit, she thought about it then pulled out a tube

"You might want to put that on each area of bruising, every three hours." she told them then disappeared Otto reached for the tube but Laura pushed his hand away, more forcefully than she intended, already off balance he fell off the seat and landed on the hard floor of the shroud with a loud bang, he swore fluidly, Raven had reappeared at second she had heard the bang, when she saw Otto was OK she rolled her eyes at him and left them to it

"I am so sorry!" Laura squealed, Otto tried to smile

"It's fine, just... smarts." he replied blinking tears away "But, you can do the cream, I doubt I can move," he added at the end, Laura looked guilty, Otto tried to prop himself up but Laura gently pushed him back down

"Stay." she warned him then rolled his top up,

"Ahh!" he exclaimed "That is cold!" Laura burst out laughing and just couldn't stop, soon Otto was joining in tears streaming because it hurt so much. Laura knelt beside him when they were both coherent and kissed him gently,

"Sorry. Now stay very still." she rubbed some cream onto her fingers and looked at the multitude of colours that dotted Otto's chest

"This will hurt I think." she told him, he nodded and did his best not to look worried, she kissed him again "I will try my hardest to be as gentle as possible." she started rubbing the cream on one area of colourful skin hating it when Otto's body went stiff as he flinched and tried not to make a sound, she quickly, but gently, covered all three broken ribs areas with the cream then threw it back on the pile of first aid stuff, she turned to Otto who looked pale, she helped him up into a sitting position, she would have gone to standing, but he stopped her,

"Give me a second." he asked breathless, Laura nodded worried Raven appeared and creeping up behind him grabbed him under the arms and hoisted him up until his feet touched the floor, Otto cried out in pain

"Thanks, I think." he gasped out as he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around himself to dull the pain

"So drugs aren't working then..." Laura summarised

"You could say that." Otto stated with a grin

"Go, you can have three hours from now." Raven stated Otto turned to her

"Spaseebo." she nodded once

"Go, you will have a lot of explaining to do, but be careful, if you get any more damaged your ribs will have to be strapped, I may have to do it anyway given as you fell off a chair, how I do not want to know." she pushed them towards the door

* * *

AN: |Hope you enjoyed! Review!


	9. The secret rockets!

AN: Phew! Long Chapter, enjoy!

* * *

"Oh, and on the subject of explaining, explain that Binary Brain." Shelby threw a Blackbox at him they had spent the past couple of hours explaining everything they had been allowed to, Otto had a new friend, Laura youngest brother James, he was sitting on his lap, Otto doing his best not to wince every time little James moved, Laura had tried to prevent it, but it had proved fruitless and Otto had told her to not bother, he would survive.

Otto caught the Blackbox and saw it was a paused video, he pressed play apprehensive, it was the video feed of him in the hospital room, Laura was there, then Otto saw his vitals dropping, he saw that he had flat-lined for a couple of seconds, then the adrenalin Laura had injected in him kicked into action and his vitals slowly levelled again he sighed and threw the box to Laura after resetting the video

"Oh." she murmured.

"Yeah, oh." Shelby retorted they were sitting in a corner and all the adults were discussing among themselves what they had learnt, all keeping one eyes on their children worried they would disappear again without warning.

"Unforeseen circumstances?" Otto tried Shelby glared and Wing raised an eyebrow as if to say 'that's the best you can do?'

"Well it was." Laura commented "And he lived..." she added cautiously

"Barely!" Shelby yelled "When were you going to tell you he bloody flat-lined in that place?!" she exclaimed not realising she had drawn the attention of the room

"Well it is around the time of the ninety three percenter." Otto tried

"Well the same could be said for last year, we missed it then as well, yet only ninety three percent of our year returned alive!" Shelby retorted and Otto visibly flinched "Sorry, that was too far." she mumbled then James saw something in the doorway and started jumping on Otto's lap, when the small boy leant back and crushed Otto's chest it was all he could do to keep quiet, Laura reached across and picked the boy up and stood him on his feet, the little boy turned and pulled at Otto's top to get him to follow

"You go ahead, I will find you later." he told James, but the little boy kept pulling at Otto's top, it rode up and displayed one of the areas where the ribs was broken, it was swollen and multi coloured,

"Oh!" James gasped he went to poke it intrigued and not realising what it was simply thinking it was pretty.

"Hey, I don't think so little chap." Wing grabbed James before he could poke it, the look the small boy gave Wing was one of utter heartbreak, Wing smiled "I don't think Otto wants you doing that, we wouldn't want to upset Otto would we?"

"No! Otto no upset." James agreed looking as sombre as a three year old can

"Go play with Christian." Shelby pushed him towards her brother who was the same age as James

"We need to be going." Wing stated standing he held a hand out for Otto who got up slowly wincing as he did

"Painkillers wearing off?" Shelby asked, Otto laughed slightly wincing as he moved

"For something to wear off implies that it kicked in in the first place." he replied with a slight grin Wing laughed, the sound drew curious glances from his brothers, Otto recalled Wing had never laughed when they had first met, not really

"How long is the flight?" Shelby's sister asked after the goodbyes

"Straight there would be eighteen hours, roughly, but via Perth is around about twenty two, I think." she replied grumpily

"Where is your school?" Ms McReedy asked curiously

"We don't know..." Laura replied "The general idea is no one finds out, ever." she added as she received shocked looks "Bye." she repeated, another round of hugs was exchanged and Otto stood on the sidelines again, an all too familiar recently feeling flowing through him, jealousy.

"I can't decide if I am glad exams are over, or not." Wing sighed his arm around Shelby brushing his hair out of his eyes

"Well I for one am." Otto replied a smile on his face

"And you just won the fourth year boys water polo." Shelby added Wing and Otto laughed, it had been Alpha stream against henchmen in the 'final', each year had a team, Otto and Wing had been nominated to go on theirs, and after three weeks of pestering from Franz and Nigel, who to everyone's surprise had turned into sporty prime Alpha stream material over their fourth year, though no one was quite as surprised a colonel Francisco who apparently had fallen over when he had seen Franz and Nigel's end of year exam. No one else had been there as they were private, but you had to go in pairs, and the colonel was now frantically denying it, they had agreed to try, much to their horror they had been good so forced to stay in the team, much to Shelby and Laura's hilarity.

"Oi! Malpense! Brand!" a voice called to them, they turned, Otto more carefully than Laura due to still healing ribs, James and Stephanie approached them, smiles covering their faces

"We are about to do it." Stephanie announced Laura gasped and turned to the others

"See you for dinner hopefully." she stated, they both laughed

"Try not to kill her, the lesson would be so much less interesting." Wing told them

"S&E is always interesting!" Shelby replied indignant Otto laughed

"See you later." Laura slipped her arm around Otto and turned back to James and Stephanie

"Well..." Laura asked gesturing down the corridor, they started walking towards the S&T labs

"Well done on beating your henchmen." Stephanie commented when they reached the labs

"Yep, put every year in their place." James added with a wide smile

"So that explains the better attitude towards us mere fourth year Alphas." Otto whispered to Laura who bit back a laugh

"How are the ribs?" Stephanie asked as they waited for Professor Pike to arrive

"Slowly healing, Dr. Scott says they should be fully healed in two months, but healed enough to let me join in TE fully in one, so just at the beginning of next year. Lucky for me." Otto replied James smiled

"Had any more medical tests since last week?" James asked, he had been amused, and amazed, by the sheer number of tests Otto had gone through when he arrived back after their 'trip', a trip the rest of the school thought was a training exercise.

"Not that many, one in the morning and one in the evening, every day." Otto replied

"If that's not that many I don't want to see lots." Stephanie replied shuddering Laura laughed

"The day after he woke up, _that_ was a lot of test." She told the other girl

"How many?" James asked, again curiosity getting the better of him

"Nine, and those were the ones with injections, he also had other tests, scans and suchlike, then there was the permanent IV drip monitoring his blood content." Laura sighed rolling his eyes "He is just an anomaly." she teased Otto rolled his eyes as well then they were shushed by the other Science and Technical stream members. They were running last diagnostic checks, Otto connected effortlessly to the computer systems and saw everything was running as it should, he nodded slightly to the professor who was waiting, Otto looked at the unconscious bodies of the cat and woman on the hospital beds the other side of a screen and sent a short prayer, to a god he did not believe in, that it should succeed, he saw other around him muttering as well, one even went as far to make the cross sign, Laura's hand slipped into Otto's and squeezed it, he sent a reassuring glance her way and she smiled gratefully, all around him he saw hands slipping into others, friends or more, what amused Otto was the fact that it was the girls who seemed to be comforting the guys, not that he minded, there was a flash of bright light and the room froze, they all waited for their eyes to readjust, Otto's and Laura's were fastest due to seeing many bight flashes before, in training exercises, the other stream were heading for research jobs, not running being chased by bad guys with flash bangs. Otto and Lara saw the woman stir, she groaned,

"Oww, my head hurts." she muttered her voice box rough with disuse, the cat sat up and jumped onto the woman's bed purring and kneading the bed

"Tabitha?" Professor Pike asked approaching from around the screen he got close enough, Ms. Leon slapped him hard around the face

"That is for getting me stuck as a blasted cat for six years and not knowing how to get me back and that is for changing me back." she hugged the professor tears in her eyes, every student screamed and cheered Laura hugged Otto tightly completely forgetting in her joy about his ribs, Otto did not mind, the adrenalin that was running through his system provided greater pain relief than any drug he had come across as of yet, he pulled back and she kissed him

"Sorry!" she exclaimed "I forgot about your ribs!" Otto grinned and gave his usual response

"I'm still alive aren't I?" Stephanie overheard this and laughed then hugged both Laura and Otto, the latter more gently than the first, when the students had calmed down and were stationary once more they saw multiple guards in the room

"What was all the noise for?" one demanded

"Me." Ms. Leon replied, every guard did a double take when they saw the voice was coming from the human, not the cat

"Congratulations ma'am, back to your station men." the chief ordered they all left

"Now, who designed this?" Dr. Nero asked from the doorway, also arriving due to the commotion "Oh, and welcome back Ms. Leon."

"Those two really." Professor Pike stated pointing at Laura and Otto, when Nero looked at them Otto pointed to Laura and she pointed to him. Nero sighed

"Why am I not surprised you two were involved in numerous rule breaking's and deception again, I am just shocked Miss Trinity and Mr. Fanchu are not here to break them as well." he paused and inclined his head "All that aside, well done. First curfew students..." he walked further into the room as they all dutifully filed out

"So?" Shelby asked as they walked into the accommodation block "Is my favourite teacher still alive?"

"One second." Wing told his Blackbox in Japanese "You are not helping my cause." he told Shelby after muting the machine so it could not hear any conversation

"What cause?" Laura asked confused and sitting on Otto's lap

"Lao, he has been told that Faolin, my oldest younger brother, is coming here. He is refusing, after the disastrous collection of me, they want me to talk him into it. But unfortunately I cannot seem to persuade him. He has had seventeen years to build up his arguments against this place, and I seventeen minutes at best. Anyway, did it work?" two grins split the faces of the nerds

"YES!" Shelby exclaimed drawing many curious glances but they soon returned to their own space and lost interest in the crazy American fourth year alpha stream student

"So S&E is back being taught by a human then?" Wing asked quietly so no one else could over hear

"Got it in one big man." Shelby teased he picked up the Blackbox

"Now if you would excuse me, I have a very stubborn friend to persuade." he un muted the machine and resumed the conversation in his home language

"Does he speak English?" Shelby asked randomly indicating Lao in the box screen after a few minutes of quiet conversation Otto nodded Shelby turned to Wing "Wing, can I speak to him?" Wing asked the old man who nodded

"Don't think she will be able to change my mind though." Lao added stubbornly Shelby took the machine and started trying to persuade this man, soon she was walking around still talking all the while, eventually she returned to the sofa where her friends were sitting

"No such luck, anyone else?" Laura grabbed the box off Wing and also stood and went around using her best persuasion tactics but she also sat and Laura passed the box to Otto

"You want a go?" she asked, the albino shrugged and took the Blackbox

"What do you have against HIVE?" he asked standing, the old man listed numerous things, all of which Otto saw a relevant points, not that he told the old man this, then slowly Otto began to address each point, for 'a school in the middle of no where, with nothing on it, made out of a a volcano', he showed the man the waterfall and security camera feeds to other rooms, he would have gone in person but the curfew was in place so he was not allowed outside the accommodation area, he showed him the swimming pool and canteen, then he went on to address other points, worried and suspicions.

Eventually around an hour later when most of the school had gone to bed Otto collapsed on the sofa in the common room and handed the box to Wing who took it confused, they exchanged a few words and a look a surprise filtered across Wings face, then he thanked his father figure and friend gratefully. The conversation ended

"How did you...?" Wing trailed off

"I don't feel like talking with my voice at the moment." a mechanical voice came out of Otto's speakers

"What did you talk about?" Laura asked

"Anything and everything, he listed his worries, fears, suspicions and thoughts on the institute and I addressed each and every one of them in turn and eventually, after showing him the waterfall, the common room, the swimming pool etc. all the the really good bits, and told him that his worries, while not unfounded or invalid, mainly concerned Wing. As I had seen his family together, I knew Wing was different, I told him that it was all my fault, he could not blame Wing for any of it and, unless there is my doppelgänger next year, which I told him was unlikely only child and orphan and all, Faolin should be OK."

"I have to admit my friend, I am in awe." Wing admitted, Otto laughed, wincing as he did so

"I wonder if Louie will be getting in, he's the correct age." Shelby asked amused

"And Lizzie, she is as well." Laura added

"They can join my brother, all the siblings together." Wing teased Otto sighed feeling jealously coursing through him yet again, he shut his eyes and 'rummaged' through the new students list, he smiled to himself as he saw all three of their siblings were on the list, he looked deeper and found out what they had done. After thinking about it he went on yet another search and came up with the list of children they were watching, he saw all of their siblings on there, he guessed if one got in they kept tabs on the family. They even had tabs on James and Christian, which Otto thought was a little premature as they had been born in the time Shelby and Laura had been at HIVE, they couldn't have rubbed off on them at all

"Can I help you Otto?" HIVE mind appeared

"Just time wasting." Otto replied with a wry smile

"Maybe you should sleep, or time waste in a safer area, we don't want you finding out about the next intake of students now would we, they may be some you knew." if anything HIVE mind looked amused Otto smiled

"No, of course not." he replied knowing HIVE mind knew he had already done so "See you." he pulled himself out of the technological world

"Is he asleep?" Wing asked Laura

"If he is that beats even your record Wing." she replied as Otto's eyes flickered open "But alas, no." Otto sat slowly wincing then stood

"Night."

"Good idea." Laura agreed also standing

"You do remember you have separate rooms right?" Shelby teased Laura threw a cushion at her

"I seem to recall you spending an awful lot of time in his room when Otto was out for the count." she retorted

"That's because you were spending an awful lot of time with him!" Shelby replied, grins spread across both of their faces

"Anyway, second curfew is about to occur, we need to be in our rooms in ten minutes." Wing commented Laura took Otto by the hand and led him towards the rooms, and straight to her cell, she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him deeply, he smiled against her lips

"That was nice." he murmured Laura laughed

"Not too shabby yourself." she replied with a grin he went to kiss her again but they were stopped by the two minute warning, Otto sighed and kissed her quickly

"See you tomorrow." he murmured Laura smiled and pulled him back to her then he left

"OK, did _not_ want to see that." he announced when he walked into his cell, Wing was there with Shelby, Shelby laughed and went to kiss Wing again, they all heard the one minute warning

"You'll have to run." Wing cautioned

"I can run." she replied, kissed him once more and ran out the room, Otto emerged from the bathroom

"Tut, tut, what would Lao say?" he teased

"What would Elaine Brand say?" Wing replied naming Laura's mother amused

"Do you mind Faolin coming here?" Otto asked suddenly, Wing seemed to think about the question and was silent for so long Otto assumed he had gone to sleep

"Yes." he answered slowly "But only because it will put Kiwanis in danger and he will get lonely. He is only eight, if he gets accepted here it will be in five years, and Lao may be dead by then. I worry about Kiwi but and glad Faolin is coming to this school because it will be good for him. I do worry about which stream he will be in though. Then Viktor, you know Victor is taught away from home I told you that, but maybe when Faolin comes he will leave his training school and go home. For Kiwi, he could continue his training with Lao, he taught me fine." he sighed

"Mostly I am glad all the trouble with Cypher is over, they don't need to ever need to ever know that. If I have any say in it, they won't ever know." once he started speaking it all flowed out, Otto thought it was the most he had ever heard Wing say at one time about him personally.

"Would you like to know what stream he is in?" Otto offered Wing sat up from where he had been lying, crossed his legs fluidly and looked Otto in the eye

"You know?" he asked, Otto just raised an eyebrow "I assumed HIVE mind would find you."

"He did, but only after and says he doesn't know." Otto explained "Do you want to know?" Otto repeated the question Wing nodded once

"Technical." relief flooded Wing's face, along with a fair bit of confusion

"I thought he would be in henchman, he had yet to beat me, but I am four years older." Wing admitted what had been bothering him "What did he do?"

"He, like you, were considered for henchman, but scored top highly on the IQ tests to be accepted. Luckily for me!" Otto replied a smile flickered onto Wings face

"Yes. I suppose." he teased then sighed

"As for what he did, he hacked NASA's database because he wanted to know when the next rocket was being sent up, he thought, correctly, they were sending up secret ones."

"I need a shower, sleep well." Wing eventually managed to get out shock over powering his ability to speak, still unable to formulate a response to is brothers work he stood and headed to the shower as Otto lay back on his bed, within seconds he was asleep.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed ! Please Review!


	10. YOU! You knew!

AN: Sorry...

* * *

"OTTO!" he jerked upright and saw Wing looking at him worriedly "Could you.." he trailed off and indicated where Otto was grasping his wrist

"Sorry, been around you for too long." Otto gasped heart pounding Wing handed Otto a glass of water which he took gratefully

"I thought you said they had stopped." Wing asked pointedly a few minutes later

"White lie." Otto groaned images still flashing through his head

"Did they ever stop?" the tall Asian asked

"No." Otto leant back against the wall trying to slow his pounding heart, he rested his fingers on his wrist and measured it, it was far too fast for him

"What is it?" Wing asked concernedly

"Ninety five. Its never been that fast as far as I am aware." Otto replied

"That's fast even for me." Wing added unhelpfully

"What the time?" he asked

"Three in the morning, Otto... do you want to talk about them?" he asked curious Otto sighed and lay back down shutting his eyes, Wing waited, this was strange normally he replied instantly with 'No, I'm fine.' which he obviously was not

"Yes..." Otto replied haltingly, he tried to sit up but his rib twinged and he curled up gasping

"Otto!?" Wing called, then rolled his friend onto his back and lifted up the top he slept in, it was black as everything else they owned at HIVE, wing winced, two of his ribs were practically fully healed but the other had been dislocated as well, in resetting it it had been re broken, it was taking that little bit longer to heal.

"I'm fine. Its healed." Otto batted his friends hands away, Wing glared at him and Otto lay back knowing complaint was fruitless, Wings hands gently probed his rib Otto stiffened underneath him, a curious expression covered his face

"What?" Otto asked noticing the change in expression

"You've popped it out again, it is fully healed but..." he pressed and Otto cried out

"HEY!" he exclaimed indignant causing Wing to laugh

"Feel better?" Wing asked amused Otto sat up slowly

"Yes. So am I healed?" he asked

"You should be, I can't feel any breakages but that rib may be more prone to dislocation than any others."

"Great." Otto sighed and resumed leaning against the wall and examining his nails "Wing." he finally spoke "If I tell you something, can you promise not to tell anyone else, ever?" he asked slowly and quietly

"You have my word." Wing promised and Otto knew he would not be telling anyone anything about this conversation

"Do you remember Overlord?" Otto asked quietly

"How could I forget?" Wing replied, his amusement faded as Otto didn't smile or laugh. Then Otto took a deep breath and told him everything. All about his past, the fact he was a clone, and his parentage and what had occurred on the ship with number one. It all came out, disjointed at first but then it flowed freely. When he was done Otto gasped, he had never expected anyone to find that out and he was shocked at how free he felt now it was out.

"Otto..." Wing trailed off unsure with how to proceed "I am so, so sorry." he eventually murmured Otto smiled a ghost of a smile

"Please don't think of me any differently." he begged, a smile flashed across Wing's face

"My father tried to kill you on multiple occasions, and you do not think of me any differently, we all have... how do you say? Skeletons in our past?" he asked

"Skeletons in the closet." Otto replied amused "Thank you." he added fervently

"Nay, it is I who should be saying thank you, you trusted me enough to part all that about your past." Wing replied

"Oh, by the way, I promised Nero I would not tell anyone, so you don't know." Otto added,

"Know what?" Wing asked Otto laughed

"I am so lucky to have you as a room mate, imagine if I had just told Franz that." now Wing joined in with a chuckle

"The entire stream from our year would know by breakfast and the school by dinner, then trying to comfort you." Wing shuddered "I do not want to go there."

"We should sleep, one day more then the weekend." Otto sighed content "I love weekends."

"New clothes on soon." Wing added

"Fifth year, I don't feel old enough." Otto admitted

"Otto, sorry for bringing this up again but, I am impressed."

"Huh?" Otto replied eloquently

"You kept that a secret since the incident with overlord, years with that big a secret." Wing whistled "I doubt I would have been able to keep it."

* * *

Wing's foil flicked up to Otto's neck, but he danced out the way, he moved fluidly and deflected the following blow, he hit Wing on the chest and spun out the way and Wing fought back, a few seconds later one landed on the floor with a thud laughing, he took off his helmet and held his hand up

"Well fought my friend, now would you be so kind as to give me a hand up?" Wing asked from the ground, Otto dropped his helmet on the floor along with his sword and helped Wing up laughing, they heard gasps and turned to see a small group of thirteen year olds in casual clothes, then a shriek.

"You!" Shelby flew across the cavern and hit Otto with her S&E textbook

"OWW!" Otto exclaimed confused "What?"

"I've worked out why you were so smug at breakfast you utter bastard!" she hit him again, then again and then a fourth time

"Ow, ow, ow!" Otto repeated with each hit

"What is this about?" Wing asked Laura, they were standing off to the side watching amused Laura opened her mouth but Shelby got their first

"You knew! You must have known he was coming!"

"Oh, _that_." Wing summarised Shelby turned to him

"You must have known as well." she accused, Laura smiled and helped Otto up

"Moi, no!" Wing replied with mock innocence quoting Otto, Shelby then hit Wing as well

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Shelby exclaimed

"You never asked." Otto replied straight faced

"How long have you known?" she demanded Wing cleared his throat pointedly and pointed to the group of newbies, led by Ms. Tannenbaum, the students looked slightly shocked and the teacher looked as emotionless as normal,

"Since we found out Faolin was coming, I thought I would check to see if any of your siblings were." Otto answered Shelby's question

"You said HIVE mind found you!" Shelby stated hitting him again with the textbook

"Stop it!" he exclaimed grabbing the book out of her hands which she promptly snatched back, then a mischievous grin crossed Otto's face "Technically I never said he stopped me, and anyway he found me after." Otto replied amused, though trying his best not to show it. He was glad, even though Shelby had hit him again, he knew it would have been harder had he shown his mirth

"Do you know what he did?" she asked Otto glanced over at the group which was still standing there gawking and raised an eyebrow at Louie, Shelby's younger brother, who shrugged shyly so Otto pulled out his Blackbox and threw it to Shelby who caught it and quickly found the information she wanted, surprise covered her features

"Impressive," they started walking slowly over to the group "What were you looking for?" she asked him when they reached the group, he shrugged

"You." he replied dead pan Shelby blinked shocked

"You know each other?" Ms Tannenbaum asked emotionlessly

"He's my brother ma'am." Shelby replied

"Any others?" she asked hoping to shoulder the tour responsibility onto them

"He is my brother." Wing stated indicating Faolin

"She's my sister." Laura finished hugging Elizabeth a grin on her face the teacher sighed

"Would you be so kind as to finish the tour?" she asked "As fifth year Alphas you should be able to manage a task as simple and menial as that." the four of them stifled sighs, even an ex Pol/Fi student disliked the Alpha stream

"Where else do they need to go?" Wing asked

"Changing area obviously, then to professor Pike, then accommodation block seven." she read off the clipboard

"Sure." Laura replied the teacher stalked off and the newbies turned to the older students something akin to awe on their faces

"You'd think at least the teachers would not be streamist." Shelby commented glaring at the retreating form of Ms Tannenbaum

"Lets get you jumpsuits!" Otto teased as every younger student made a face

"They're not that bad trust me." Shelby consoled them

"He beat you." Faolin murmured in Japanese too shocked to speak in English Otto and Wing grinned

"Aye, but he still annihilates me nine out of ten times." Otto reassured Faolin in the same language, the younger boy looked relieved and glanced at the older brother he had not really seen for four years

"If you are quite finished speaking in strange languages I really _cannot_ be bothered to translate..." Shelby taunted

"Lets go." Laura led the scared group towards the changing rooms

* * *

"So, which of you is completely honestly unaware of the act they performed to come here?" Otto asked leaning against the wall outside the changing rooms, some were still changing, there was silence from all

"That's different." Shelby commented causing Laura to laugh

"Like you didn't know, you just told us you didn't." Laura teased

"And that lasted... what twenty four hours? Until our first S&E lesson." Wing added Shelby's eyes flashed

"Still not happy with Ms. Leon about that." she growled

"What did she do?" Louie asked confused

"Called me out in front of the _entire _Alpha stream first years."

"What did _you_ do?" a brave first year asked, a wicked grin flashed across Shelby's face and her brother sighed

"Alice, let me introduce you to the Wraith." Louie sighed, they entire group gasped

"The thief?" one asked shocked Shelby bit back a laugh

"Nice to know after four years they have not forgotten me." she glanced at Otto "Unlike they probably have you." Otto laughed

"I had no idea what I had done to get here," he continued when Shelby raised an eyebrow disbelievingly "The incident with the prime minister happened seconds before Raven got me, it is impossible to link that with me and get me a place." Otto replied realisation dawned on Shelby's face

"Has it taken you four years to realise that?" Laura asked shocked

"Well if you remember correctly I only found out about the Prime Minister a couple of weeks ago. Whereas you all found out on the first day!" Shelby retorted

"Technically it was only Laura who found out on the first day." Wing corrected raising an eyebrow at Laura who shrugged

"We had time to kill in S&T." Laura took Otto's Blackbox

"Oh dear, look at one and five." she sighed passing the box to Wing

"Oh, wonder when they will find out?" he mused

"Now." Otto replied looking at two Alpha stream students coming their way

"Hey you four, why do you have the new- Heidi!" Franz Argentblum stopped dead and stared at the girl in front of him who's jaw dropped and she barrelled into her brothers arms, so did another girl,

"Clara!" Nigel Darkdoom exclaimed as his sister barrelled into him Franz and his sister started babbling away in German and Nigel and his sister did the same, just in English

"How many others are related with others?" Shelby asked amazed, Otto glanced at the list and ran it through his mind, noting family links and surnames

"Fourteen, including you three." Otto replied slightly shocked "That's high."

"Who?" Nigel asked

"Five Alphas, you five, seven Pol/Fi, two Sci/Tech." Otto replied

"You be having siblings?!" Franz exclaimed

"Aye, but we could be saying the same about you." Laura replied

"I have a sister and a brother." Franz replied "As you can see the sister is thirteen and the brother is nine."

"I just have a sister, who you can also see is thirteen." Nigel added his Australian accent made all the stronger by the contact with another Aussie

"Ah, lucky, I have two sisters and two brothers, the brother is thirteen, and twin sisters at seven then a three year old brother, but I only found out about him recently." Shelby told him

"What about you two?" Nigel asked Wing and Laura

"Three brothers, thirteen, ten and eight." Wing replied

"Lizzie, she's thirteen." Laura flashed a grin at her sister "Then a brother at six, so I barely know him, then another brother at three, so I don't know him." horrified looks covered the thirteen year olds faces

"So when they say we can't leave, _we can't leave_." Alice asked her voice faint

"Well, depends on who you is being," Franz answered looking at Otto, Laura, Wing and Shelby pointedly

"But being in Sci/Tech stream," Shelby interrupted Franz before he gave them any ideas "You get to leave on trips, none in your first year whatever the stream but in your second year you have two off island trips, in the third year the main one is the ninety three percenter, but two others, in your fourth year you get four trips, fifth year five, then sixth year five as well then the one where you leave." She summed up

"What do you mean 'depends on who you are being'?" Clara asked her brother

"Well, some of year has seemed to spend more time off island than others..." he replied looking at the four other Alphas

"And moving swiftly on..." Shelby started to lead the way to the labs

"Where are you going?" Franz called

"Professor Pike's lab, apparently that's where they need to go." Laura replied

"Can we come?" Franz asked at the same time as Nigel;

"Why do you have them?"

"Yes, and because Ms. Tannenbaum dumped them on us when she found out she had three relatives in the group." Shelby answered both questions,

"Ah, the new students. Lovely, lovely!" the professor ushered them in he glanced at the five alphas

"You can go now if you want, they are accommodation block seven am I right?" he asked Otto nodded "I will take them," he glanced at Otto "That's a nasty cut Mr. Malpense, you may want to have that looked at, I thought you were off the TE list for now?"

"I am, back tomorrow though." he sighed "It wasn't received in TE sir." he added Selby blushed

"I didn't mean it." she mumbled

"No, you just hit me repeatedly _accidentally_." he retorted, Shelby shrugged

"I had my reasons." they left the room

"What happened?" Franz asked

"OW!" Shelby had hit Otto again

"He lied to me." Shelby replied

"Moi, no!" Otto replied Wing grabbed the textbook and slipped it under his arm as Shelby went to hit him again

"He didn't tell us about our family getting admitted," Laura explained slipping her hand into Otto's "Come on, we need to get that cut looked at." they parted in the corridor.

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